Chapter 99: Chidao
The valley was dark with wind and snow. The civil and military officials were hungry and wet. Nearly half of the soldiers were frozen to death. They finally made it to dawn and hurriedly set off. They finally got out and arrived at Zhangye County.

Many palace maids and concubines were ill, the worst of whom was Princess Leping, who was already on her deathbed. The former queen did not die at the hands of her husband, who also loved to go on tours and whip the queen, but died on the way to a tour with her younger brother.

The emperor did not comment on this. If it were not for Empress Xiao's persuasion, he would not even bother to meet Yang Lihua.

Yang Lihua held on until the emperor finally arrived. She first said that she was unlucky and could not accompany the emperor back to Beijing, and then requested:
"I have no sons but one daughter. I am not afraid of death, but I am worried about my daughter and son-in-law. I hope Your Majesty will consider our blood relationship and transfer my current fief to my daughter and son-in-law."

Yang Guang agreed readily. Princess Leping died with gratitude and trepidation. After all, her identity was special, so the emperor ordered her body to be transported back to Dingling Mausoleum to be buried with the previous emperor Yuwen Yong.

Then he continued his western tour in the Fengxing Palace which Pei Ju had prepared in advance. More than 20 kings or envoys from the Western Regions lined the road wearing gold and jade and singing and dancing to welcome the emperor.

The emperor felt that it was not enough to show off his majesty, and he also had to show off to the people under his rule. So he ordered the scholars and ladies from Wuwei and Zhangye to dress up and rush to the place. The roads were filled with carriages and horses, stretching for dozens of miles, which really made him a big star.

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Li Jiancheng frowned and said, "Your Majesty ordered me to repair the Linshuo Palace. In addition, after the Yongji Canal is completed, the laborers must not be dismissed. We must speed up the construction of the highway."

The officials and staff below all looked unhappy. One said, "The people are already overwhelmed. If we continue to build palaces and roads, I'm afraid it will provoke a civil uprising."

"Of course I know, but your majesty's order is not to discuss with us, but to be carried out by us. Otherwise, who can bear the charge of disobeying the order?"

No one responded. If this decree was carried out, at least thousands of young and strong people would be killed or injured, but what could be done?

"You are His Majesty's trusted minister, can you..."

Li Jiancheng shook his head: "Your Majesty has finished his western tour and led the Western Regions envoys back to the Eastern Capital. The next step is to deal with Goguryeo. I can still make the decision to delay the construction of the temporary palace, but the highway must be repaired immediately."

Everyone looked better. At least they could start work in order. If they started all at once, they really couldn't imagine the consequences. The people of Zhuo County have never been so peaceful. If they were forced into a corner, they would really rebel.

No matter what, disobeying the emperor's order is not feasible. The emperor will not buy it. Anyone who disobeys will be replaced directly. Some people are obedient, and what he decides must be implemented.

After arranging their duties, the officials went out with sullen faces. No one wanted to do this kind of thing. If they did their job well, they would not get to live in the palace and enjoy it. If they did not do their job well and aroused popular unrest, they would be dismissed from their posts and imprisoned at the very least, or even executed to quell public anger.

Li Jiancheng could no longer sit in the prefectural office in peace, and he went to several counties in person to talk with the village elders and clan leaders, mainly to make it clear that this was the emperor's will, and he had already postponed the construction of the palace at the risk of being held accountable.

For more than a month, he traveled to all the counties and even larger villages under his jurisdiction, visited the local elders with high reputation, and under their guidance, he went to the local poor families and donated money and food.

Fortunately, it was not in vain. The people had a lot of complaints about the court, but they had a good impression of him, the newly appointed governor. Their main request was to advise the emperor so that they could rest and recuperate. After running around the jurisdiction, Li Jiancheng bought more than 200 sheep and rushed to reward the young and strong men who were conscripted from Zhuo County. It was unrealistic for everyone to eat a large piece of meat, so after slaughtering the sheep, Li Jiancheng asked them to chop the meat into small pieces, and then stew it in a big pot with vegetables. At least there was enough oil and water to make the meat fragrant, and it was enough to eat a full meal with the big cake.

The young and strong men all finished their meal with tears in their eyes. After going through so many hardships, they finally came back alive, but they were forced to build the highway again. They didn't know if they could hold on, and they didn't know if there would be other labor service after the highway was built.

The people were not fools. Even if the emperor did not need them to fight in the battlefield when he conquered Goguryeo, they could still be responsible for carrying baggage and food.

The people are resentful and the atmosphere is extremely bad, and it cannot be appeased by small favors.

Li Jiancheng silently looked at some familiar figures in the crowd. It was not possible to rebel now, but it was necessary to absorb some backbones who were determined to rebel against Sui.

Li Jiancheng's more than 2,000 confidants who were kept in various villas had gathered in Zhuo County. These people could not see the light, and Li Jiancheng had no use for them for the time being, so he ordered the most trustworthy and loyal ones among them to disperse to several surrounding counties and join the corvée team.

These people are the ones who are most dissatisfied with the emperor and the court. The aristocratic families have choices and can still sit back and relax, but these common people have already reached their limit of patience.

Once they have gathered a number of people, they can occupy the surrounding hilltops and become bandits, continue to absorb civilians who cannot survive, train soldiers and gather forces to rob military food and supplies. With him as the governor who holds the military and political power, who can wipe them out?

Those who were not die-hard loyalists were led by Li Xiaogong and temporarily guarded the prefect's mansion under the name of palace soldiers. After Li Jiancheng became Li Jing's disciple, he did not learn much, but Li Xiaogong did get some true knowledge.

Another month passed and Li Jiancheng received an imperial edict. Fortunately, it was not to conscript corvée again. If it continued, he would have to break off relations with the aristocratic families in order to gather enough young and strong men.

The emperor ordered him to rush to the Eastern Capital. Not only him, but also the governors from all over the country, as well as artists from all over the world, would go together. During the Lantern Festival, a grand performance would be held outside the Duanmen Gate in Luoyang City.

Li Jiancheng had no choice but to obey the call. He ordered people to contact the governors of Yuyang, Shanggu, Bei'an, Anle, Boling and Yanmen counties. If they had not set out yet, they should travel together.

The world is becoming increasingly unstable now, and he cannot bring too many guards with him when he goes to the Eastern Capital. Li Jiancheng does not want to encounter any setbacks, so it is best for them to go together, and they can also become better friends.

After slowly dealing with the affairs of Zhuo County and waiting for a reply and agreeing on a time, Li Jiancheng set out and met up with everyone in Hejian County. They got drunk together first, and then started their journey.

Currently, most of the prefects in the world come from Guanlong, so after everyone had a drink, they sorted out their relationships. In fact, they are all real relatives, and their jurisdictions are so close, so it is inevitable that they will help each other in the future.

Li Jiancheng is still the leader among them, because he is the youngest and is at the same level as them at such a young age. Naturally, his possibility of promotion in the future is greater than theirs.

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(End of this chapter)