noffsinger Chapter 380 The Current Situation of Chang'an
Chapter 380 The Current Situation of Chang'an
In the cold winter, auspicious snow fluttered down on the streets and alleys of Chang'an, creating a scene of silver.
As the end of the year approaches, people are busy preparing for the New Year, and the streets and alleys are filled with a festive atmosphere.
Time flies like a white horse passing by. In the blink of an eye, the fourth year of Qianwu is about to come. Your Majesty personally led the army to conquer Goguryeo, and has not returned to the court yet.
The distant Liaodong battlefield has delayed His Majesty's steps and made the hearts of the people in Chang'an hang in their throats.
Despite the current situation, this year's New Year's Day ceremony had to be held.
His Majesty leads the army in person. Although Chang'an City remains prosperous on the surface, undercurrents are actually surging, and various forces are watching.
The surrounding barbarian vassal states were like a group of hungry wolves, always coveting the territory of the Tang Dynasty.
If the New Year's Day ceremony is not held with great fanfare and grandeur during the new year, those clowns with ulterior motives will surely think that the Tang Dynasty is like the Sui Dynasty in the past, empty and vulnerable, and thus they will unscrupulously develop a rebellious heart.
Knowing that the Tang Dynasty's conquest of Goguryeo had failed, their ambitions gradually grew.
Although the Tang Dynasty was powerful and had a strong army, even if these barbarians really rebelled, they would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot and would be unable to shake the foundation of the Tang Dynasty.
But now the court has to focus on the army's logistics supply lines, and the allocation and transportation of food, fodder and weapons will require a lot of manpower and material resources.
The imperial court would also be overwhelmed by the compensation of fallen soldiers. Furthermore, the court also needed to worry about the people's livelihood, build new factories to promote economic prosperity, and expand various infrastructure to demonstrate the prosperity of the country...
These myriad affairs weighed heavily on the minds of officials in Chang'an, making them miserable and almost numb.
These minor rebellions are nothing to be afraid of, but they can be troubling.
Back then, officials naively believed that if they could grit their teeth and get through this period, things would be easier in the future.
But who would have thought that just after the first year of Qianwu, the affairs of the second year would be even more arduous than before.
They had hoped that the situation would ease this year, but looking at the situation now, one can see at a glance that what awaits them next year will only be more difficult government affairs.
Moreover, the imperial court had not yet started the imperial examination system to select talents for official positions, and the problem of staff shortage was particularly prominent.
Officials throughout Chang'an spent almost half of their time every day immersed in paperwork and dealing with mountains of government affairs.
It is also because of this that the problem of factional strife, which has been repeatedly banned in all dynasties, has not appeared in the current court of the Tang Dynasty, at least for the time being.
Everyone is so busy that they are as thin as a dead dog and exhausted. How can they have the leisure to fight for power and profit?
Especially those young officials in Xianyang, who were privately called the "Xianyang Gang" in the future by the old ministers, really opened the eyes of those rigid and conservative old guys in this busy wave of government affairs.
Take Chen Fusheng for example. Although he is young, he has an unyielding spirit and endless energy.
When handling government affairs, he could work continuously for two days and two nights without sleep, which amazed others.
If it weren't for these vigorous young people with such strong energy, the old ministers, with their increasingly weak bodies and energy, would have been in chaos and unable to sustain the myriad of complicated affairs of the court.
At this time, Di Renjie and Wu Meiniang rose to prominence and, with the emperor's appointment, gloriously entered the cabinet and became two young cabinet ministers that attracted everyone's attention.
Among them, Wu Meiniang's path to promotion is even more controversial.
In the eyes of those old ministers, her past was like an unbearable history, and she was despised by those old ministers.
Now that His Majesty is away on an expedition, he has promoted her into the cabinet. How can this not make the old ministers feel dissatisfied? It's like a thorn stuck in their throats, which they can neither swallow nor spit out.
Behind the scenes, they talked about it and were worried.
After all, Wu Meiniang was born with a beautiful face and was the most beautiful woman in the country.
How could they not worry that His Majesty allowed her to enter the cabinet simply out of favor, being deceived by her beauty and making such an unreasonable appointment.
Although the emperor is still alive, if Your Majesty is really bewitched by this so-called "beauty is a disaster" and loses his mind, it is really hard to predict what kind of crisis the Tang Dynasty will fall into in the future. It is really chilling.
After all, the prestige of the emperor now is not worth mentioning compared to your Majesty.
These rumors behind the scenes did not have any effect on Wu Meiniang. She remained calm and composed.
But these words deeply hurt Li Zhi's heart.
The college was in winter vacation at that time. Li Zhi heard that there was a shortage of staff and the situation was tense in Chang'an City, and his burning heart could not calm down.
When he thought of Wu Meiniang's stubborn face, an indescribable pain surged in his heart.
He knew why Wu Meiniang always avoided him and kept her distance from him, but matters of the heart were like flowing water, uncontrollable. So why would one need a reason to like someone?
Even though he knew her past, knew her helplessness and inability to control herself, his heart would still be gently tugged at without him noticing.
In the harem, Su Zhi sat quietly beside the bed. She was wearing a plain brocade robe, and the wide robe could not hide her bulging belly.
Her hand gently stroked her belly, her eyes full of motherly love and tenderness.
Her gaze slowly shifted to Li Jingyou, who was lying on the bed and sleeping soundly. His little face was faintly pink, and his long eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyelids. He looked extremely well-behaved and cute.
The most fun age for a child is between two and five years old.
Xiao Taohong walked into the room slowly with light steps.
She moved cautiously, fearing to disturb the tranquility in the house.
Walking to Su Zhi's side, she bowed slightly and called softly, "Miss..."
When Su Zhi heard Xiao Taohong's voice, she slowly stood up, gently picked up the brocade quilt embroidered with exquisite patterns, and gently covered Li Jingyou with it.
Then, with the support of Xiao Taohong, she slowly moved towards the side room.
The two of them lowered their voices and talked in whispers along the way, for fear of making any noise and waking Li Jingyou from his sweet dream.
"What's wrong, Xiao Taohong?" Su Zhi asked softly.
"My lady, His Majesty has not returned from the expedition, and you are aware of the current situation."
"The New Year's Day ceremony will be held in two days. This year's ceremony concerns the reputation of the Tang Dynasty, so it must be held."
"Prime Minister Fang and Grand Tutor Qi want you, young lady, to bring His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to preside over this New Year's Day ceremony."
"It's just that you are pregnant now, and your health is not very good. I am really worried..."
Xiao Taohong frowned slightly and twisted her hands together unconsciously.