The yurt was actually just a row of very simple wooden houses, even rudimentary if befitting the emperor's status. Just a few unassuming little wooden houses, with rows of cucumbers and beans growing outside instead of flowers and grass. The houses weren't tall either, utterly insignificant compared to the massive buildings in the Taiji Palace. Some green vines climbed up the wooden walls to the roof, but they didn't bloom, and their names were unknown.
Right next to the window was a small earthen bed (kang), suggesting that it would be difficult for the emperor to sit at his desk and handle state affairs. Whether in the East Warm Pavilion of the Taiji Palace or this yurt, the small earthen bed had become a signature feature of the imperial study. However, since the kang was right next to the window, when tired, sitting on the kang, leaning against the soft cushions, and enjoying the view outside was quite pleasant.
But this simple place was undoubtedly the heart of this vast empire. Every summer, the emperor would move here to handle state affairs. Countless edicts and memorials were sent from here. Fang Jie had cautiously peeked inside the yurt the last time he visited; the stack of memorials on the low table over the earthen bed was nearly half a person's height. And these were at most a day's worth of memorials. Fang Jie couldn't imagine how tedious it must be to read memorials day after day.
Yet, the emperor's understanding of this vast empire came entirely from those memorials.
Sometimes Fang Jie thought that if half of those memorials reported false information, then no matter how wise the emperor, he would hardly be a benevolent ruler praised by the people. If he told the emperor this thought, it would surely amuse him. Then the emperor would seriously tell him that perhaps half of the many memorials he read every day were indeed lying.
A qualified emperor must first be able to distinguish what is true and what is fabricated in these memorials.
He must also see the truth behind the lies.
To become a wise emperor in the eyes of the people—is that a simple and easy task? Local officials, six or seven out of ten, only report good news, fearing that a truthful report would ruin their careers. However, with careful analysis, the truth can still be discerned from their reports or by comparing them with others.
For example, when a county suffers a flood, the magistrate, fearing reprimand from the court for inadequate dike construction, often tries to conceal the truth from above and focuses on rescuing the victims to prevent the situation from escalating. This was something Emperor Tianyou did after his ascension to the throne that seemed most unbelievable – preventing local officials from covering for each other. Even so, few of the submitted reports were entirely true.
Local officials differ from those in the capital. Six or seven out of ten capital officials hold no real power; they report to the yamen daily, and after completing their assigned tasks, they have considerable free time. If a local official truly wanted to manage their territory well, they probably couldn't finish their work even working 24 hours a day.
Even the most capable person will make mistakes in governing a region. Therefore, the habit of writing more things that please the Emperor and less things that upset him in memorials is not unique to the Sui Dynasty.
It was generally the same in all dynasties.
When Fang Jie reached the row of wooden houses, he informed the eunuch in the flying fish robe standing guard outside that the Emperor had summoned him. The eunuch turned and went inside to announce his arrival, speaking softly from the doorway. The scribe, Su Buwei, who was serving at the door, grunted in acknowledgment and turned to go inside to consult the Emperor.
"Let him wait."
The Emperor didn't look up, his vermilion brush hovering over a memorial, writing something: "The Huai River in Jiangnan has already started acting up at the beginning of summer. I sent people to supervise the construction of the dikes last year, and after a year, the dikes are still not finished… If this isn't taken seriously, many people could die. The Prefect of Huaiyang, Du Wumei, is a rare person who doesn't lie; if he says the dikes are unstable, then they definitely are. The Huai River stretches for thousands of miles; if it really rages, it's unimaginable how many people will be left homeless."
Su Buwei bowed her head and said, "Then this servant will have him wait outside for a while."
"Hmm."
The Emperor grunted, then looked up and ordered, "Go and summon Zhang Chaochong, the Minister of Revenue, and Liu Renjing, the Minister of Works, immediately."
"Yes, sir."
Su Buwei bowed and withdrew, gently closing the door to the inner room. Stepping out of the house, Su Buwei saw the young man standing somewhat awkwardly outside. He smiled apologetically and said, "Wait outside for a while. His Majesty is currently handling state affairs… There seems to be some flooding in the Jianghuai region. He will see you after he finishes meeting with the Ministers of Revenue and Works."
"Thank you, Eunuch."
Fang Jie clasped his hands in thanks.
Su Buwei nodded and smiled, then stopped as he walked past Fang Jie and said softly, "You can rest in the woods over there, but don't wander around. I will come to find you after His Majesty finishes dealing with matters in Jiangnan."
"Thank you."
Fang Jie clasped his hands in thanks again, glanced at a corner of the courtyard, and said, "I'll just stand there. I don't dare go too far. There are many important people in Changchun Garden; it wouldn't be good to offend them."
Su Buwei gave Fang Jie an approving look, then hurried away. ...
...
Fang Jie walked to a corner of the courtyard, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then squeezed behind a rockery to sit down. He'd only eaten a little something that morning, and now he was starving. If he just stood there outside, he was afraid his legs would tremble and he'd shake. As a scout, hunger wasn't unusual for him. Going without food for a day wasn't unbearable, but this wasn't Fan Gu; here he had to stand respectfully at all times.
Why not find a place to rest for a while?
The space behind the rockery wasn't large, right next to a flower wall. Fang Jie sat down on the rock, listening to his stomach growling louder and louder, and sighed helplessly. Since the emperor wouldn't see him anytime soon, he simply closed his eyes and leaned against the rock to rest. About half an hour later, Fang Jie heard footsteps. He looked through the gap in the rockery and saw Su Buwei leading two people dressed in purple official robes walking quickly towards him. He saw Su Buwei glance casually at where he was, but Fang Jie felt that even behind the artificial rock, he hadn't escaped the eunuch's eyes.
After Su Buwei and the other two entered the wooden hut, Fang Jie leaned against the rock again, looking up at the sky. He sat there bored for a long time, until it was dark, but Su Buwei hadn't come to find him. His stomach rumbled louder and louder, and Fang Jie couldn't help but sigh, wondering how much longer he would have to wait.
The wooden hut was already lit, and he could see the emperor's shadow reflected in the window. Fang Jie couldn't help but sigh; the emperor had been sitting there for at least four or five hours without moving, he must be exhausted.
He looked around and saw that none of the guards in their flying fish robes were looking in his direction. He hesitated for a long time, but finally couldn't resist. He quietly reached out from behind the rock, fumbled for a while, and pulled out a cucumber. He wiped it haphazardly on his clothes and began to eat it, trying not to make a sound.
After eating the cucumber, he felt even hungrier.
After finishing, he leaned out halfway and continued groping. By the faint moonlight, he picked three or four cucumbers in one go and held them in his arms.
Just as he was about to eat, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching again. Startled, he quickly stuffed the cucumbers into his clothes. Just as he hid them, he heard Su Buwei's voice from outside: "Fang Jie, His Majesty requests your presence."
Fang Jie swallowed the cucumber in his mouth as fast as he could, straightened his clothes, and crawled out from behind the artificial rockery. He said apologetically to Su Buwei, "This humble servant fell asleep; please forgive me, Your Excellency."
Su Buwei gave Fang Jie a half-smile, a strange smile playing on his lips. Fang Jie didn't understand it, but he knew there was absolutely no malice in the smile.
Following Su Buwei, Fang Jie entered the room and bowed, saying, "Fang Jie, deputy commander of the scout team, greets Your Majesty."
"Rise. I've been busy with some court affairs, keeping you waiting outside for a long time. Come here, I have something to ask you."
Fang Jie rose and walked into the inner room with a slight bow. He then bowed to the two officials who had not yet left. As he bent over, he noticed that their legs were trembling slightly.
They were hungry, too.
Fang Jie smiled inwardly, thinking, "You don't even have cucumbers to eat."
The Emperor picked up a piece of paper from the low table and handed it to Fang Jie, saying, "This is the exam question for the arithmetic department of the Martial Arts Academy this year. I specially asked Dean Zhou for one. This is just one question from the exam paper. See how you solve it?"
So the Emperor still wanted to test him.
Fang Jie took the exam question with both hands and looked at it by the lamplight.
Night fell, and ten candles were lit. Light the first candle, then the second, and so on. After they burn out, light the third, and so on, lighting all the remaining candles together. A gust of wind blows, and only one candle remains lit. How many candles are left by dawn?
Seeing Fang Jie's slight frown, the emperor's lips curled into a smile. At the Martial Arts Academy, it seemed none of the high-ranking officials had answered this question correctly. Most had overcomplicated the answer, while those who thought too simply were misled by the question's wording.
"Four."
Fang Jie gave the answer before the emperor's smile even began.
"Hmm?"
The two ministers standing not far from him looked at him simultaneously. The emperor smiled and nodded, saying, "It seems my bestowal of these five excellent grades wasn't for nothing. I didn't expect you to answer so quickly."
Fang Jie thought to himself, "This world without riddles is so boring."
Just then, Liu Renjing, the Minister of Works standing to the side, suddenly felt his stomach growl loudly. The Minister, who had just been severely reprimanded by the Emperor, lowered his head somewhat embarrassedly to hide his embarrassment. Earlier, when His Majesty questioned him about why the Huai River dike, after a year of construction, still couldn't stop the floods, he had been so frightened that he forgot he was hungry. Now, however, he couldn't control himself; his stomach was completely empty.
"What's that sound?"
The Emperor listened intently and asked.
"It's…it's my stomach,"
Liu Renjing replied, blushing. The Emperor paused, then couldn't help but laugh. "I almost forgot," he said, "none of you have eaten since noon, and neither have I. Your stomach's growling, and I'm hungry too. Su Buwei, have someone bring some snacks for them to tide them over. In a little while, have a bowl of rice porridge brought to me."
"The porridge is already cooked and warm," the Emperor replied. "If Your Majesty wishes to eat now, I'll have it brought to you immediately."
"Very well."
The Emperor smiled and said, "Bring up several bowls, lest they say I'm stingy. Fang Jie…you stay too. I have something to ask you after you've eaten."
"No, no, I'm not hungry, not at all," Fang Jie said instinctively, waving his hand in refusal. But just then, with a few thuds, the cucumbers hidden in his clothes all fell out.
The room fell silent. The emperor's eyes widened in surprise. Pointing to the vibrant green cucumbers on the ground, he asked, "What...is this?"
Fang Jie took a deep breath and bowed, replying, "Your Majesty...this is called...cucumber."
The emperor was stunned, the astonishment still lingering in his eyes. Fang Jie quickly bent down, picked up the cucumbers, and hurriedly stuffed them back into his clothes.
"Your Majesty, I have been impolite...please punish me."
He spoke while mentally calculating his next move.
"How dare you!"
The emperor, sitting on the earthen bed, suddenly shouted, startling Fang Jie. Just as he was about to confess, the emperor pointed at his nose, his voice slightly angry, "You picked my cucumbers and dared to put them back! How dare you! I ask you...is it delicious!"
"Fragrant, crisp, and sweet...delicious..."
Fang Jie answered, his head bowed, his voice trembling slightly. "Delicious? Delicious? Why don't you bring them out for me and the other ministers to try?!"
Upon hearing this, Fang Jie was stunned. He instinctively pulled a cucumber from his sleeve, carefully placed it on the low table, and quickly retreated. The Emperor picked one up, examined it, pulled a clean white handkerchief from his sleeve, wiped it, and without a care for hygiene, popped it into his mouth and took a bite.
"I planted these myself, and they are indeed sweet and delicious! Come, come, one for each of you, there's none left for Fang Jie."
The Emperor generously pointed to the cucumbers, while the two ministers stared in disbelief. Su Buwei smiled, thinking that this little fellow really got along well with His Majesty. He quickly stepped forward and handed one to each of the two ministers. The two ministers looked at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief.
They never imagined that one day they would be eating cucumbers with His Majesty…
Crunch!
Crunch! The crisp sound of chewing drifted out of the small house, seemingly carried away by the breeze to a very, very far place.