Chapter 514 Grandson as Hostage
In order to show his sincerity, Li Quan even brought his son Li Tan's only son with him to Chengdu during this trip to Sichuan. He was following the example of the grassland empire and wanted to leave his grandson as a hostage in the imperial capital of the New Song Dynasty.
However, Zhao Yulin disdained the act of taking hostages.
This person has a rebellious nature, and it is only a matter of time before he rebels. There are many such classic stories in all dynasties. To fundamentally solve this problem, it is ultimately inseparable from a perfect system and the combination of virtue and benevolence.
He put aside the issue of Li Quan and began to carefully plan the governance of Shandong.
In Jinguan City, Chengdu, Zhao Feiyan was overjoyed when she received the news that Li Quan had rebelled and Shandong had returned. She summoned all the officials above the deputy rank in the capital to hold a banquet to celebrate. The officials were walking around in the banquet hall, congratulating each other and drinking. The whole Chengdu was filled with excitement and joy.
The next day, the New Song court held a grand funeral for Zhu Congwen, the founder of the Shenwei Army, and Li Yunqing, the commander-in-chief of the Tibetan garrison.
The newly completed Lingxiao Pavilion was solemn and dignified. In front of the pavilion, one large and two small incense burners were emitting purple smoke. Zhao Feiyan led all the civil and military officials of Jinguan City to attend the ceremony of the spirits of the two pillars of the country entering the pavilion.
The king announced to the whole world in front of Lingxiao Pavilion that the people of New Song should remember the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country. They are the real heroes of the country. The people of New Song should treat the families of every martyr who sacrificed their lives for the country well and not let the warriors who sacrificed their lives for the country shed tears under the Jiuquan.
Immediately afterwards, the Ministry of Revenue issued a notice requiring all prefectures and counties to investigate the families of soldiers and martyrs, and to register and provide care for those who had difficulties in life and needed care.
Military generals from all over the country were delighted and encouraged to see that the court cared so much about soldiers and their families. They became more confident and rushed to the battlefield in high spirits.
In Huaxi Village outside the west gate, the lights in the Zhang family compound were on. Hulan and Madam Qian were still working late into the night. The maid saw Hulan busy with a big belly and a tired look on her face, and told her to take a rest because there was still tomorrow.
A Qian also advised Hu Lan to take a rest, but I refused and continued to insist.
The rice harvest in Huaxi is good, and the people are busy adjusting the fields, repairing canals and roads, in order to improve the arable land in the entire Huaxi. The goal is to make Huaxi look like a new place with straight roads, rows of trees, and gurgling streams, thanks to gravity irrigation.
Wu Jing brought her older children, Chen Liu and Zhu Fugui, to Huaxi to build new catering and entertainment facilities. These kids listened to their mother Yangjin's advice at home and decided to build several large beggar's chicken and firewood chicken restaurants in Huaxi, as well as good places for children to play and eat, and to make use of the sloping land that is not suitable for farming.
This has made their little mother Hulan very busy.
A Qian said: A lot of manpower was consumed these days, and a lot of money was spent, and the money was flowing out.
Hu Lan said confidently: It doesn't matter, I will make it back. She didn't expect Yang Jin to have so many good ideas, and she believed that they could all make money.
She told Aqian to just wait and see, this place will definitely be crowded with people next year.
Seeing that she was full of confidence, A Qian pointed to the Chengwen official road outside the village and said: The official road is still a long way away. It's difficult to expect people from the city to walk several miles to come in for a meal. I'm afraid that they will be starving before they even get there.
Hu Lan said confidently: That's easy. We will report to the court and ask the Ministry of Works to open the shared carriage station of the Carriage Bureau to the entrance of the village, and the people in the city can just pay a small amount of money and get in by carriage.
A Qian is worried that the officials in the Ministry of Industry will not be optimistic and will stop operating because they are afraid that they will lose money after launching the shared carriages.
Hu Lan said generously: It's simple. If they don't agree, we can just pay for it ourselves and set up a carriage bureau in the name of our Huaxi Village and connect the stations in the city.
Ah Qian began to sigh. It was true that the daughter-in-law of the Zhao family had no worries about spending money. In the past six months, the renovation costs of Huaxi Village, which she had been in charge of, had been rising steadily. Hu Lan called it expenditure without blinking an eye. Every expense was recorded in the account book. There were ten full books.
Hu Lan didn't care about that. She just arranged it and said, "Do it, do it right away." She then asked Wei Rensheng, who was behind her, to help Madam Qian go to the Ministry of Industry to apply for a shared carriage connecting Huaxi tomorrow.
However, when Qian came to the Ministry of Industry to discuss with Mr. Qiu about extending the city's shared horse-drawn carriages to Huaxi Village, she was frustrated.
Mr. Qiu was very enthusiastic when he saw A Qian, but who would dare to neglect the young wife of General Meng?
However, he felt embarrassed when he heard Qian's purpose.
The shared horse-drawn carriages in the city were all in service, but the distance from Ximen to Huaxi was almost three miles in the village, and there was a five-mile section of the city's marginal streets that were not in service. Opening such a long section would definitely be a huge loss.
Lord Qiu immediately summoned all the ministers to discuss the matter. After listening to the details, the ministers shook their heads like rattles and said that it was absolutely impossible. How could there be so many people traveling outside the city as inside?
It is definitely a losing business.
The current carriage bureau is very large and is no much profit. We cannot afford to continue this losing business.
Also, if we insist on opening the channel, we will have to pay a huge amount of money in the future, and someone will definitely impeach you for taking care of the feelings of Lord Meng and Commander Zhao, which will become a transfer of benefits.
Mr. Qiu's brain skipped a beat as if he had been electrocuted, and he had no choice but to refuse with difficulty.
Ah Qian came out listlessly, feeling that she was too incompetent, because her first solo job had failed. She angrily said two words to Wei Rensheng: "Go home." She leaned against a corner of the car and dozed off.
After a while, Wei Rensheng shouted loudly: "Madam, we are home."
The maid lifted the curtain and helped her out. When A Qian saw her own mansion, she asked in confusion: "Why did you come back? The work is not done yet. Let's go back to the village."
Wei Rensheng was stunned for a moment, then he suddenly realized that their Madam Qian regarded Huaxi Village as her home and wanted to go back to Huaxi Village.
When the carriage passed by the Chengdu government office, Wei Rensheng looked at the two huge stone lions at the gate and remembered that the current prefect, Chen Chen, like Hu Lan, was the wife of Zhao Yulin. He thought that there was still some way to make their shared carriage work, so he decided to ask Prefect Chen for a try.
The young man immediately pulled the carriage to the side and suggested to Qian, "Let's go to the government office to find Madam Chen Chen and try. It will definitely work."
Like Wei Rensheng, A Qian immediately became alert when she thought of the special relationship with Mrs. Chen Chen, and quickly got out of the car to find Chen Chen.
When Chen Chen saw A Qian coming, he laughed and called away the people around him. When he heard that A Qian wanted to open a shared carriage outside the city, the Ministry of Industry disagreed and found her.
Chen Chen thought it was a good idea and read the notice carefully.
A Qian was worried that Chen Chen shared the same view as the Ministry of Industry and believed that opening a carriage bureau would be a money-burning furnace, so he finally refused. She kept explaining the importance of shared carriages to Huaxi Village and insisted that Mrs. Chen agree.
Chen Chen said with a smile: Whether this matter can be done or not, it still needs collective discussion in the government office. Madam, please go back first, and I will reply to you after the discussion.
A Qian said goodbye with some disappointment, and asked Wei Rensheng to go straight to Huaxi Village as soon as she went out.
When we got back to Zhang's compound, we had already had lunch.
Wei Ren had no time to eat, and breathlessly reported the failure of his application for the shared carriage. Hu Lan was a little unhappy, but he held back and said there was no rush and that he wanted to eat first.
After A Qian finished her meal, Hu Lan said in a domineering tone that if they didn't agree, we would do it ourselves. We would go and unite with Guanghua Village across the street. They would provide land to build bus stations and call stations. We would buy carriages and horses and ask the masters to manage them ourselves. We would build a beautiful shared tourist carriage bureau just like the one in Jiuzhouba, Yibin.
When Hu Lan's assistant Wu Jing heard that their tourist carriage bureau was going to be re-established, she was delighted and shouted to Chen Liu and Fugui to come quickly, saying that their young mother was going to set up a tourist carriage bureau in Huaxi.
At this time, there was a commotion outside the yard, and a guard hurriedly ran into the yard and shouted: Ladies, the prefect of Chengdu is here.
A Qian was surprised.
Hu Lan's face lit up with joy, and he shouted, "Let's go and welcome Shangguan. It's time for our carriage game."
They had only walked three steps out when Chen Chen came in, laughing. She held Hu Lan's hand and said that we were all family and there was no need to be polite. She asked him to be careful with his steps and not to drop her nephew.
Hu Lan said happily: It’s urgent, thank you sister for your care.
Chen Chen smiled and said that she also wanted to thank the two ladies. They were all here to seek happiness for the common people of Chengdu County. It was nothing for her, as a prefect, to do a little.
Then he called all the officials behind him to come in, and the maids and guards quickly brought out chairs and asked them to sit down.
Chen Chen pointed at the officials one by one and introduced them, including the county magistrate of Chengdu County, the special envoy in charge of engineering works of the government office, and a few young deacons who were familiar with the business.
She said: In the morning, after Madam Qian left, the Chengdu government office held an urgent meeting to discuss the matter. At first, the officials thought that this section of road was already out of the city, and there would probably not be many people who actually took the horse-drawn carriage, so there was not much point in opening a shared carriage bureau.
That's because everyone hasn't seen how large the crowds of people will be who will come to eat, play and have fun after our Huaxi Village is built.
Don’t you see how many people in the city will be able to travel more easily after the horse-drawn carriages are opened?
Now , let's sit down and have a live meeting to talk about it.
Chen Chen said generously: I have decided on this matter. Huaxi Village will set up the carriage bureau, drive the shared carriages to the head of Huaxi Village, and use them as tourist carriages in Huaxi Village.
Hu Lan was happy and thanked Sister Chen Chen repeatedly.
Chen Chen said: There are still many things to do, and she started to arrange them. She asked the government's engineering envoy to go to the Ministry of Works to coordinate the connection with the station in the city; she asked the Chengdu County Magistrate to vacate the land of Guanghua New Village opposite to build a station, and to repair that section of the official road for her.
"The rest will be paid by our sister." Chen Chen looked at Hu Lan with a smile.
She agreed immediately and told Chen Chen that every penny of the carriage bureau's expenses should be recorded in the account, and if there was a profit in the future, we would all follow our sister's arrangements.
Hu Lan dared to travel thousands of miles to the Central Plains when she was still a child. Chen Chen admired the stubbornness of this young girl very much.
She asked: If you have any other problems, please tell us and we will solve them all at once.
