Zhurou

Chapter 217 Argument

Before the man reached the couch, Zhao Mingzhi could vaguely hear the rapid breathing. When he took a closer look, he saw that the man's head and face were steaming, and there were large beads of sweat on his nose - it was the man who had not been seen for many days and was left behind. Caizhou takes care of Zhao Hong's Mo Xiang.

There are two confidant maids beside Zhao Mingzhi. One is called Yushuang, and she is quite skilled. Unfortunately, the protector was seriously injured by Di Ren on the way north. The other one is clever and resourceful, and has a good eloquence. This is Mo Xiang.

When this person saw Zhao Mingzhi, he didn't even bother to wipe his sweat. He was happy at first, and then he didn't know what he thought of. His expression suddenly changed, and he looked like he was about to cry before he opened his mouth to speak. Zhao Hong suddenly appeared on the couch beside him. He moved slightly and murmured a few words in his sleep.

She reacted immediately, shut her mouth, and carefully knelt down on the ground to salute.

Zhao Mingzhi quickly helped her up, turned to look at Zhao Hong first, and saw that he moved his mouth, but his body did not turn over. His breathing had returned to its original frequency, as if he had fallen asleep again. He waited for a few breaths before pulling Mo Mo. The incense left the side hall.

The door was just closed, and when they arrived at the outer hall, as soon as Zhao Mingzhifu sat down, Mo Xiang knelt down again.

The stone bricks paved in the hall, at the turn of spring and summer, and she was not wearing any thick clothes, actually made a "plop" sound.

Zhao Mingzhi was startled, and hurriedly reached for her hand, asking: "Why are you so stupid, kneeling so hard, and hurting your knees?"

As soon as these words came out, something seemed to have been touched. Mo Xiang's eyes turned red and her nose flaring. Although she tried her best to hold it down, the tears finally fell.

She wiped it with one hand and couldn't help but choked: "Your Highness... How come your Highness has lost so much weight!"

He added: "My servant, Your Highness, stayed in Caizhou. I was supposed to stay by His Majesty's side and take care of Your Majesty's food and daily life, but...but I didn't do it well, and actually asked Your Majesty to go north alone..."

As she spoke, she wiped away all her tears and swallowed her tears again: "My servant has insulted my errand, please punish me..."

However, Zhao Mingzhi said: "I know about this - His Majesty is eager to go north, and there are marching arrangements. There are many people and horses. Even if I am there, I may not be able to follow you. What does it have to do with you?"

Then he said: "As for your Majesty's body..."

She asked Zhao Hong about his diet and daily life in detail.

Mo Xiang hurriedly explained Zhao Hong's three meals a day, the effects of taking medicine, his work and rest hours, the frequency of his night dreams, etc.

Apart from these, she did not wait for Zhao Mingzhi to ask, but also talked about the behavior of the officials of the two governments, and even the behavior of Mrs. Li. When she mentioned the former, she was just dissatisfied. When she mentioned the latter, although she tried her best to restrain herself, she still couldn't suppress the gnashing of teeth.

"...The empress came to ask questions several times a day. Once she replied that Your Majesty was not free, she said that she was the elder, so how could the elders summon her, and the younger ones refused, and she led a group of palace people outside to make a lot of noise. , the palace people didn’t want to, so she beat and scolded her at every turn. Your Majesty was kind-hearted and didn’t want to see people suffering. Seeing that the commotion was really ugly, he had to ask her to come in..."

"It's just that after the meeting, the empress either asked your majesty to go north to replace the late emperor, or she urged the capital to be moved south, and she also said she wanted to raise money and send it to Xiazhou to redeem the princess..."

Zhao Mingzhi frowned when he heard this, and asked: "The concubine doesn't have many people on hand, why is she so difficult to deal with?"

Mo Xiang said helplessly: "Caizhou is a small place and there are many people. The guards are supposed to block people, but if they cry in the middle of the night, they can be heard both inside and outside. There are many officials coming in and out, and there are also people outside. The common people are only afraid that it will harm your Majesty’s reputation..."

After all, there are only four words: "Throw away the rat and avoid the weapon."

"Later, when Pei Jiedu came, His Majesty decided to go north to the capital. The concubine naturally refused to agree. They continued to make trouble for many days. She even took advantage of the fact that all the officials had gathered after the court meeting and knelt in the main hall. Crying outside..."

"She doesn't dare to follow her now, but if she waits for two days and learns that the situation in Beijing has eased a little, she may have to pack her bags and head north in a hurry..."

Concubine Li's behavior is certainly very irritating, but compared with the Di soldiers in the north, and compared with the situation in front of the battle and in the capital, it is not worth mentioning.

Zhao Mingzhi said: "We'll wait until she comes. There's everything to be done in the city right now, and I'm short of manpower. I had no choice before, so I tied you up in the harem to take care of you. Don't worry about it now. I've assigned you a few things." ”

Mo Xiang was originally on tenterhooks, feeling that it was extremely difficult and really at a loss. But now that she met Zhao Mingzhi and saw how she was lifting weights with ease, she suddenly felt like she had a backbone. She hurriedly responded and listened carefully.

As expected, Zhao Mingzhi assigned several urgent matters, either uploading or issuing orders, ordering personnel, or going out to inquire, etc. There were thousands of threads, and they were all related to the reconstruction of the city and the comfort of the people. Compared with some concubines or officials, the latter suddenly It was so lined that it couldn't be placed on the table.

Mo Xiang repeated it, immediately accepted the order, asked a few more details, and looked like he was about to start working.

Zhao Mingzhi was not in a hurry to speak carefully, but asked: "When did you arrive?"

Mo Xiang was stunned for a while, and after a few breaths, she answered the question.

Zhao Mingzhi calculated in his mind and knew that he had changed his clothes as soon as he arrived without any delay, so he sighed: "You can't go with the imperial chariot and lag behind in a hurry. I think you have to work day and night to get here so fast." ——I sent someone to ask for some food from the kitchen. You can take a bite first and then have a good night's rest after washing up. Come back to see me tomorrow."

Mo Xiang was not willing to agree, and said anxiously: "Yu Shuang is not here, and there is only one maid left. I am busy serving His Highness, how can I be lazy? The maid came in a carriage and slept all the way. I am really not tired at all..."

When she wanted to say more, she heard a commotion in the side hall.

Zhao Mingzhi hurriedly got up and went back. Sure enough, Zhao Hong had woken up and was rubbing his eyes. He was scrabbling on the ground with his bare feet looking for shoes. When he saw Zhao Mingzhi coming in, a big smile suddenly appeared on his panicked face and he shouted: "Ah Sister! I didn’t see you when I woke up, and I thought I was dreaming last night!”

Zhao Mingzhi stepped forward with a smile and asked softly: "It's still early, why don't you sleep?"

Zhao Hong said: "The city and the outside are in chaos. I don't know what the soldiers are like in front. I haven't seen any letters. I forced myself to sleep and couldn't sleep well. I might as well get up. Even though I can't do anything, I won't be delayed if I have something to do."

Speaking of this, Zhao Hong became more and more awake. He stepped on his shoes with one foot and stepped directly on the ground with the other foot without anyone else's help. While getting dressed, he said to Zhao Mingzhi: "Sister, go back and sleep for a while." Come on, I’m such an old man and I’m more capable than before, so just don’t worry.”

His speech and actions are no different from those of a real adult. Zhao Mingzhi did not refute his intention. He took a few steps forward and picked up the other shoe that was somehow placed in the corner on the ground. He gently put it back in front of Zhao Hong and said, "You have grown up a lot, with you in front of me." After watching, Sister went to sleep for another hour. "

The smile on Zhao Hong's face got bigger and bigger, he straightened his thin chest and said, "Sister, go to sleep peacefully. If anything happens, I will take care of it!"

After saying that, he bounced his feet on the ground twice, stepped on them again, and then went to ring the bell.

Seeing that he was self-sufficient in everything, Zhao Mingzhi also left the side hall. Seeing Mo Xiang standing outside, he thought for a while and said, "You go wash up and eat by yourself first, and come see me again at noon."

Mo Xiang originally wanted to speak, but was intimidated by her momentum. After a while, she only dared to respond and retreated honestly.

It turns out that Zhao Mingzhi has been issuing orders and prohibitions these days, directing personnel, and has gone through a lot, and has become a deterrent in his words and deeds. Mo Xiang followed Zhao Hong. He hadn't seen her for a long time, and he didn't dare to be verbose. For a while, he only felt that he was not listening to orders. , there should be no other ideas.

After Zhao Mingzhi returned to the palace, although he knew that everything was urgent, he still couldn't get a good rest last night after staying up for many days. His mind was full of things, and after hastily scrubbing his face, he lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

This sleep was particularly uncomfortable. I had recurring dreams and could not wake up.

She suddenly dreamed about what happened in her previous life. When the city was destroyed, her brother stood in front of her. He was covered in blood and couldn't be wiped clean. She opened her mouth to scream, but her throat seemed to be strangled by something and she couldn't make a sound. I dreamed of a strange man standing at the top of the stairs, and I was actually standing below. The man had bags under his eyes and purple lips, but if you look carefully, you can't see his face clearly, as if he was still separated by thick clouds and mist. From a high place, a high-pitched voice seemed to come from the ear again - "Don't kneel down yet!"

The voice was high and commanding, and it was very natural.

Her head was heavy, her knees were weak, and she could not stand firmly. She tried to struggle but could not, as if her body was bound by a fishing net, and she would fall forward with the inertia.

But the man's tone was really unpleasant. She looked up and saw that behind the thick fog, he was dressed in bright yellow. She suddenly understood his identity. At this time, she felt rebellious and angry. She straightened her back and straightened her face. I wanted to drink back, but when I opened my mouth, the prison around me seemed to be suddenly released, and I woke up.

——It turned out to be just a dream.

Zhao Mingzhi was still frightened, so he sat up and took a few breaths to relax. When he opened his eyes and looked again, it was not bright yet. It was like a dream, it was heavy, and her back was sticky and sticky. The fabric and cold sweat stuck to her spine, making her extremely uncomfortable.

At this moment, he had no time to think about anything else, so he rang the bell to call people in. After learning that there was no news, Zhao Mingzhi was worried, washed up in a hurry, and hurried back to the front hall.

The capital has experienced many wars, and was burned, looted, and looted in the past few times. This time it has experienced such a long siege, and the number of casualties is naturally countless. There are even stones thrown from outside the city and houses in the streets and alleys of the city, and some have been demolished and moved. There were piles of equipment and materials for defending the city in the place, and they used to act urgently. Although it is still wartime, and we don't know whether the thieves will attack again, but now that they have retreated for the time being, the people's lives will have to continue, and even more There are countless things to be resolved.

Sure enough, as she approached the Chuigong Hall, she saw the door of the hall wide open. Several voices were heard inside, one talking at a time, one voice louder than the other, and the argument was very fierce.

"Does it mean that only the soldiers need to eat, but the common people don't need to eat? Grain and cereals are sent to the front of the battle, what can we eat in the capital? Even you and I can starve for three to five days. If we drink cold water to fill our bellies, what will the common people do? Your Majesty Are you also hungry?"

After the man finished speaking, the person on the other side didn’t know what he answered. His voice became louder, and he continued: "Changpingcang? Huh? Changpingcang?! There is no grain in Changpingcang now! I used to be dissatisfied. These days when the Di people are besieging the city, not a single mosquito can fly in, and there is no food delivery outside - even if there is food to transport, there are ten rooms and nine empty rooms along the way, where is the manpower to deliver it, let alone now? In spring and summer, there is no food to collect!”

Someone loudly replied: "The soldiers at the front are fighting with the Di people with their flesh and blood. If there is no food, how can we let them fight hungry? Later, we can save food and clothing, and be more frugal. Once the food is cut off at the front, the soldiers will not die. Who can Come to take responsibility again - the Di thieves retreated last night with their men and horses. Could it be that they can't come back in the future? At this time, the needs in front of the battle should be the first priority. As for the grain in the city - wait for the road to be opened, and the two routes to the south of the Yangtze River will be raised. It’s not impossible to bring some food.”

As soon as this person's words came out, there were countless rebuttals.

"When will the road be opened? When will it be opened?"

"Who will raise the funds? When will the funds be raised? How much will be raised?"

"If there is no food in the capital and the people rebel, who will be responsible?"

"In the past few years, the taxes on the two roads south of the Yangtze River have been extremely heavy. If we continue to raise grain, we are afraid that the north will not be leveled and the south will be in chaos again, let alone how to transport it? What Su Gouyuan said before is very reasonable - where is the problem? Is there any manpower to transport it?”

At this time, someone read a few names, seeming to be talking about transportation, and the people who were named started arguing and making noise.

"Four hundred thousand kilograms of food per day? Even on an ordinary day, we don't have this kind of transportation capacity!"

"Since the capital was besieged, water transportation has been cut off for many days. It is difficult to clean up along the way. I don't know when it will be opened again. To participate in politics, I have to make a promise from an official - I forgive my incompetence, but I dare not say anything! "

One saying is that food is the first priority for the people, and another is that the three armies have not moved yet, and food and grass should go first.

The war on the front line is still ongoing, and supplies of grain, fodder, and baggage are transported every day, and the people in the city also need to eat. It is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice. For the most important matter of eating, naturally there are many ministries and departments involved.

The person in charge of the Changping Warehouse had no choice but to step forward, and then the City and Trade Department also stepped forward, followed by the Kyoto government office, and then the Transportation Envoy...

From raising grain to transporting grain, one move affects the whole body. No one wants to be the first to take the lead, and no one wants to be forced to take on something that is extremely difficult to accomplish.

Zhao Mingzhi stood outside for a moment, hearing the noise inside, but no one could convince him. Seeing that it was endless, he stopped waiting and simply went straight into the hall.

As soon as the Yimen officer made the announcement, the voices inside became quiet.

Zhao Mingzhi stepped inside and ignored the people saluting. Instead, he raised his head and looked at the table and then his brother.

Over there, Zhao Hong was sitting with hunched eyebrows. Hearing the official announcement, he suddenly pushed away his chair and stood up, holding the fold in one hand and his face full of joy.