Chapter 74 Water Conservancy
After Yang Su left in accordance with the imperial edict, his son Yang Xuangan was transferred to be the governor of Songzhou. Songzhou governed seven counties, which was not small, but for the eldest son of the current Shangshu Ling, it was still a bit ordinary.

Soon, Yang Su's younger brother Yang Yue's position as the Minister of Internal Affairs was replaced by the emperor's brother-in-law, Duke of Ju, Xiao Cong, and he was given the title of Duke of Liang, which showed that he was trusted to the utmost.

Li Jiancheng would of course come to congratulate on such a happy event, but before he even entered the door, he was stopped by Xiao Yan, the founding marquis of Taoqiu County: "Jiancheng, you've come just in time, come and help me keep an eye on it."

Li Jiancheng walked over with a smile, greeted several members of the Xiao family, and then stood in the queue of Xiao family's sons-in-law. After being teased for a few words, they all got busy. When they met someone they knew, they would go up to help introduce and receive them. This was also the time for the aristocratic families to show off the power of their in-laws.

When almost everyone had arrived, Duke of Liang Xiao Cong came out and personally welcomed the family sons-in-law into the house, asked them to sit in the innermost seats, and thanked them for helping to entertain the guests.

Li Jiancheng saw that more representatives came from the Jiangnan gentry, and the Shandong gentry also had representatives. There were relatively fewer people coming from Guanlong, and most of them came for the sake of the emperor and empress's face.

It can be seen that the emperor's promotion of the Jiangnan gentry has aroused the resentment of the Guanlong nobles, but it is insignificant. The world is at peace and no one dares to rebel because of this.

After the banquet, the guests left one after another, and the sons-in-law were invited to the back hall to talk. Several uncles and elders of the Xiao family and the direct descendants of each branch were present.

Tea and hangover-relief soup were being boiled in the room. Some people who could not drink much were already feeling drowsy. Xiao Cong changed his clothes and came over to give instructions to everyone, saying that the Xiao family's prestige had declined in the early years, but it was now slightly improving thanks to the queen's favor, and that the children of the family should not be arrogant.

As for the in-laws and sons-in-law, he told them that if Xiao could help in any way, they could just speak up and he would do his best, after all, they were not outsiders.

During this dynasty, there were three provinces and six ministries. The Neishi Province was responsible for decision-making, and its chief official was called the Neishi Ling. The Menxia Province was responsible for deliberation, and its chief official was called the Nanyi. The Shangshu Province handled daily government affairs, and its chief official was the Shangshu Ling.

Now that Xiao Cong has been promoted to the position of Internal Secretary, he has become the representative leader of the Jiangnan gentry. Naturally, his power has increased greatly. He will not let go of the opportunity to promote his family and relatives at this time.

It is well known that the right to use will expire if it is not used. For example, when Li Jiancheng was in high spirits, he arranged for his own children to enter the officialdom and promoted relatives such as the Dou and Xiao families, as well as retainers such as Shen Guang and Zhang Wansui.

If you need help, don't be polite. Li Jiancheng had nothing to ask for, so he smiled and talked to his uncles.

When the time was almost up, everyone took their leave, and Li Jiancheng was kept by Xiao Cong. The others were Xiao's sons-in-law, but this one was his own son-in-law, so of course there was a difference.

"Jiancheng, I have also heard about your father's affairs. I will tell His Majesty about it tomorrow."

Li Jiancheng shook his head and said, "Thunderbolts and raindrops are all grace from the emperor. Your Majesty has just demoted my father, and his anger may not have subsided. If I rashly ask you to plead with His Majesty, even if you get your official position back, you will lose the emperor's favor. Isn't that losing the big picture for the small?"

"Don't worry. Although his position is low, my father is still a Duke of the first rank in the Sui Dynasty. No one will look down on him."

Xiao Cong nodded slightly upon hearing this: "In that case, let's first find some rare treasures to present to the emperor and win back his favor. I still have some treasures handed down from the past in my mansion. You can take them with you when you leave later."

Li Jiancheng thanked him respectfully, and Xiao Cong said meaningfully: "You are not young anymore."

Li Jiancheng understood the meaning of the string and said with a smile: "I am looking for a good day to go outside the city to find the geese and sheep."

"Haha, okay."

Li Jiancheng talked for a while and then said, "I have something to say but I don't know if I should say it."

"What is the relationship between you and me? Just speak frankly."

"I know Yang Yue well. He is cunning and rebellious. I am afraid he will not accept the position and will definitely seek revenge." "I am not greedy for the position of Internal Affairs Minister, but given the current situation of the Yang family, how dare we go against the emperor's will?" Xiao Cong said puzzledly, "Yang Su has been patient and has not said anything, so what can Yang Yue do?"

"Yang Su dared not make any move, because if he did, His Majesty would surely strike with thunder and lightning. But if Yang Yue did the same, the Yang family would be divided up and eaten up immediately, just like the Gao family in the past."

Seeing that Xiao Cong was a little hesitant, Li Jiancheng stopped persuading him. It was about to be curfew, and it was not convenient for him to stay overnight at the Duke of Liang's mansion, so he said goodbye and left.

.........

On the 27th day of the 11th month, the emperor issued an edict saying: "Listen to the imperial edicts and consult the people of the world for advice on governing the country. Only in this way can we know the gains and losses of governing the country.

Being able to consult the people about government affairs is the style of the ancient sages and kings. The feedback this edict received was that a large number of people hoped that Duke Gao Zuo of Qi could continue to serve as an official and assist in the country's governance.

It is unknown what the emperor's reaction was after hearing the people's opinions, but he did accept their advice and appointed Gao Jiong as the Minister of Rites, in charge of rituals, music and sacrifices. Since the Han Dynasty, he has been the head of the Nine Ministers and a third-rank official.

However, after expressing his gratitude that day, Gao Zuo advised Your Majesty not to conscript labor so hastily, but to avoid spring planting and autumn harvest, so that the people could store food and not suffer from famine.

However, the emperor rebuked him in court for seeking fame and humiliating his emperor and father. Gao Zuo was extremely ashamed and angry, but he could do nothing about the emperor.

Yang Guang announced his ideal to his ministers: "I will crush Xuan Tang and swallow up Zhou and Han. My descendants will last for thousands of years and no one will be able to see me."

That is to say, one must be a great emperor who drives his chariot to crush Xuanyuan Tang Yao, whose achievements surpass those of Ji Zhou Liu Han, and who no one in later generations dares to match.

It is of course good for the emperor to have such an ambition, and his ministers can only admire him.

He then ordered Shangshu Youcheng Huangfu Yi to mobilize more than one million people from Henan and Huaibei counties to build the Tongji Canal.

The water of Gushui and Luoshui was diverted from Xiyuan to the Yellow River, and the water of the Yellow River was diverted from Banzhu through Xingze into the Bianshui River. The Bianshui River was diverted from the east of Daliang into the Sishui River and then to the Huai River.

He also mobilized more than 100,000 people from Huainan to dig the Hang Canal from Shanyang to Yangzijin and into the Yangtze River.

Developing water conservancy projects is certainly a good thing that benefits both the country and the people, but such indiscriminate conscription of young and strong people is beyond what the world can bear.

As a result, court officials from all walks of life came to give advice, and officials from the Secretariat and the Ministry of Civil Affairs would rather resign than accept the order.

Li Jiancheng also followed the crowd in making suggestions, but ended up being treated as the chicken to be killed to scare the monkeys. Along with several other veteran ministers, he was dragged out of the court and beaten with the imperial cane.

After all, he was still young, and the person who hit him with the royal stick was an old friend of his, so he hit him a little more gently, and on the surface his injuries seemed to be similar to those of the others.

Li Jiancheng certainly knew that he could not persuade Yang Guang, but it would not be good not to show his concern for the country and the people. He did not dare to confront Yang Guang and give advice alone, but he still had the courage to follow the crowd.

Fortunately, his official position was not demoted, and the court officials also realized from the emperor's attitude that the emperor would never compromise on this matter, which made many officials feel desperate, but this was only the first year of Daye.

…………

(End of this chapter)