Along the flat, broad road, Cao Mao's procession advanced in great splendor.
Tall, orderly shelterbelts lined both sides of the road like ranks of soldiers, bowing in greeting to the emperor as the wind blew.
It was already the busy farming season, and the farmers working in the distance were just visible.
Cao Mao gazed into the distance, a faint smile in his eyes.
Zhong Hui sat inside his carriage, brush in hand, taking notes.
Zhong Hui had accompanied Cao Mao on this journey not merely to follow his emperor out in a display of grandeur, but also to see conditions in the various regions and whether they matched the reports submitted by the local authorities.
Some things could be seen from inside the carriage; others required Zhong Hui to change clothes and enter nearby homes, or listen to reports from the Office of Affairs.
Liu Lu was also at Cao Mao's side. The Office of Affairs had now grown immensely.
It had stations throughout the Central Plains, and Liu Lu no longer needed to run back and forth. Wherever Cao Mao went, intelligence gathered.
Both its ability to infiltrate and its ability to investigate were countless times stronger than before.
Their first stop was Yanzhou.
Yanzhou was now very prosperous.
In both cultivated land and population, it led the other provinces of the Central Plains. Even the most troublesome problem, that of the great clans, had been effectively addressed in recent years.
Whether inside his carriage or in the common people's homes, Cao Mao saw plenty of smiles.
Faced with men as obviously dressed as nobles as Cao Mao and Zhong Hui, the common people showed little fear.
At least they no longer turned and ran, and were willing to stop and exchange a few words.
Cao Mao occasionally