The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 119 Dreaming of Xizhou

Xiao Wang had a long dream.

The tomb of Yue Yi in the dream was also covered with freezing cold snow. On the plain, the army soldiers held their spears and frowned, the soldiers of the prefectures looked panicked, and the captain suddenly shouted to march out. The thin man carried a spear, looked back every few steps, and silently looked at his parents who were blocking the road. The shouts of the villagers in my ears continued for a long time; I joined the army in Handan at the age of fifteen, defended Qianling in autumn, garrisoned Pingliang, and guarded Tongguan. The hustle and bustle of chasing the emperor in Chengdu, the rebellion in Fengxiang and the group fight with the Qi army, the drifting and confusion...

"Fifteen years." The little king opened his eyes. The afternoon sun was soft and warm. The white sunlight shone on the weed-covered soccer field in the West Inner Courtyard. Not far away, the fish-scale armor was shining silver. More than a thousand Tiance soldiers were doing drills. The cold wind had just stopped. It was a good time to sweep the courtyard and take a nap. The little king was covered with a loose black cloak, lying lazily on the bamboo mat, and casually covered his face with the "Sima Fa".

"Master, Master." The military book was opened, and a small and tender face swayed slightly in front of her eyes. She was wearing a brown tiger skin skirt, a white leather waistband, and a pair of buns tied with a red ribbon on her head. She was holding a wooden stick and panting: "Today... Can we not practice boxing today?"

Xiao Wang narrowed his eyes: "The fire is not yet heated, no, no."

"...Move to the side so I can get some sun, too."

The little prince raised his lips and said, "Let me test Your Highness. What are the six strategies that the kings and hegemons used to rule the princes? The ones I talked about yesterday..."

Li Yu immediately rolled his eyes up, recalling the lessons taught by the martial arts master: "Use political orders to intimidate them, so that the princes will be afraid of me. Use courtesy and trust to make them close to me, so that the princes will be close to me. Use courtesy and force to persuade them, use strategies to keep them in line, and use force to subdue them, so that the princes will be my subjects. Share the same suffering and benefits, and make peace with small things, so that the ruler and the ministers are in harmony, and the yin and yang are in order..."

"Hmm..." Xiao Wang flipped through the original text and compared it. What he taught to King De was actually his own understanding... He didn't know if this was what the ancients meant, but he thought it was the right way to understand it.

"Can we bask in the sun now?"

"Lazy!" Xiao Wang's face turned serious and he continued to ask casually: "A country may be big, but it will perish if it loves war. What's the next sentence?"

"Even if the world is at peace, forgetting war will lead to danger. Therefore, the emperor must gather weapons and strengthen the warriors. Keep away corrupt scholars and cowardly ministers, and love the officers and soldiers of the three armies. Then the barbarians will not dare to look down on China, and the traitors will not covet the Nine Cauldrons."

"Who is the traitor now?"

"Zhu Wen!"

The little prince couldn't help laughing. He put down the military book and carried the prince to the bamboo mat. He bent his index and middle fingers and tapped the prince's head. "The Art of War, Wu Zi, Sima Fa, Liu Tao, Taibai Yin Jing and other classics are all must-learn works. It doesn't matter if you don't know poetry and prose, but you must know military affairs. If you want to be a saint, be a martial saint. Are Liu Ziye, Xiao Yan, Xuanzong and other bastard emperors decent? How can people not rebel?"

"The Emperor Zhidao Xiao is my ancestor, and the martial arts master cannot say anything about him." Little Li Yu pinched Wang Congxun's face and said, "Han Hanlin told me that there are three thousand types of the Five Punishments, and the greatest crime is unfilial piety. The world does not advocate filial piety, sons kill their fathers, the lower class overthrows the upper class, and children and grandchildren curse their ancestors. This is the cause of unrest."

"Well said." Xiao Wang hummed, looked down at King De, and said with a smile at the end of his voice: "I lost."

"Let's go, it's time to practice riding." He stood up, holding the King of De's hand and walking towards the football field, one taller than the other.

"Grandpa often said that warriors are noisy. What is noisy?"

“It’s better to never understand.”

"Grandpa also said that a ruler should not make empty promises and give rewards arbitrarily. What does it mean to give rewards arbitrarily?"

"Your Highness, please make me a king. It doesn't matter if you can't do it, just agree to it first. When you become a saint, you can make me a king."

"what?"

“That’s called excessive reward.”

He was wearing an exquisite round-neck scarlet robe, and his steps were steady and elegant. Wang Congxun was not like this before. When he was still a nameless slasher of the Tianwei Army, he was rude and unruly, fierce and aggressive, and he didn't care about life and death. No matter how you look at him, he is a killing material sent to the evil army. But somehow, after staying with the saint, he gradually changed without realizing it.

When he was the General of the Imperial Guard, the sage talked about this and that, and always asked him: What do you think? Over time, he was influenced by what he saw and heard. Later, the sage kept advising him to dabble in knowledge, talking in the morning, talking in the evening, and talking whenever they met. Wang Congxun had no idea, so he invited two scholars to give him a lecture. In fact, he loved to learn, but only limited to various military strategies, and was obsessed with how to kill more people in larger quantities, faster, and more efficiently. And from this point on, it expanded to other levels.

Don't say it, he is indeed a man of great learning. Whenever Chu, a court lady, talks about love and romance, he can also join in the conversation. That feeling gives people confidence.

Last winter, the imperial guards were reorganized again, and he began to participate in military affairs, planning personnel systems with the Ministry of War, the Imperial Guards and other departments, and discussing whether policies were appropriate. After being transferred to the position of Zhonglingjun, he assisted the saint in handling various miscellaneous matters of the Tiance Army Department with Zhao Fu, Zha Zhu and others; he also became the master of the eldest son of the emperor. All kinds of pressure and anxiety forced him to improve. At this time, he had nine guests in his mansion, some of whom were down-and-out scholars, some of whom were tribute students living in the capital preparing for the exam, and some of whom were foreign poets who came to the capital to travel.

When guests and staff met him, they would either address him by his title - a great name - or call him a prince in a cheesy way...

Xiao Wang is not used to it yet.

"Your Highness, today is the birthday of Her Royal Highness Concubine Shu. The mansion has prepared gifts and is entering the palace to congratulate." Aide Li Yu walked in from the small door in Changxiang on the north wall and reported respectfully.

"Mr. Li is a good helper. What did you buy?"

"Gold ornaments, silverware, Shu brocade. A silver plate with double phoenixes and crabapples, a silver box with a parrot lid, a pair of lotus petal folded belly high-footed cups, a blue smoke Persian cup, and a silver gilt cup with ladies' patterns. The concubine is nearly thirty years old, and these are just the right symbols of longevity and enlightenment. There is also a gilt hairpin to praise her appearance. Considering that the concubine is a Shu woman, I also bought two satin Shu brocades with flying phoenixes and wandering unicorns to comfort the concubine's homesickness and congratulate the two saints on their harmonious music."

"So these are what I should give..." Xiao Wang learned something new. If he were to arrange it, he would just buy a bunch of goods at random.

"The relationship between the prince and the He family is very close, and he is also highly regarded by the saint. Therefore, the gift does not need to compete with others, just show your care and sincerity." Li Yu said with a smile. Then he carefully glanced at Wang Congxun, and seeing that he was in a good mood, he continued: "It cost..."

"No need to say." Wang Congxun raised his hand and said, "I... I am not a money-obsessed person. I should congratulate Concubine Shu on her birthday."

"My Lord, I also wrote a congratulatory message." Li Yu reminded.

Wang Congxun was choked.

Is he capable of writing a birthday congratulatory message? A saint would know at a glance that he was ghostwritten.

but……

"Let's send it off together with Lord Li." Wang Congxun nodded. It doesn't matter who wrote the congratulatory message. At this time, we should show our loyalty properly. As for making a fool of ourselves... we should make a fool of ourselves.

Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

If he is loyal and continues to show it, he will be rich and powerful for generations. This is also the reason why he chose to serve the king - the future is promising and the prospects are limitless!
"Mr. Li, please go and get busy."

"As ordered."

After he left, Wang Congxun continued to train his apprentice: "After you finish practicing riding skills, you will be allowed to return to the palace to find Concubine Shu."

……

"…The railings are made of twelve curves, and the hanging hands are as bright as jade. The sky is high when the curtains are rolled up, and the sea water sways in the sky, making it green. The sea water is dreaming endlessly, and I am sad because of your sorrow. The south wind knows my wish, and blows my dream to Xizhou…" The lingering sound is in the air, and the courtyard behind Penglai Palace is full of warblers and swallows. The wives, concubines, and children are reunited, celebrating He Yuqing's birthday… his twenty-seventh birthday.

Luo Fu sang "Xizhou Qu". Well, the girls couldn't imagine that scene. Except for Luo Fu and Qi, no one here has ever seen the sea... But it is said that the East China Sea is blue, and there is a giant fish called Kunpeng in the sea, whose huge feet can overturn a ship. There is also the Fanghu Three Immortal Mountains, and in the far east there is the country of Japan where the sun rises... I really want to go and see it.

Wei Yi presented "Changmen Yuan".

She had been in the palace for four years and was still a perfect girl. Every night when she was lonely and unbearable in the cold palace, she did not want to be like those lonely widows who used the cold jade pestle to dispel the heat; nor did she want to violate the propriety and integrity she had been taught since childhood and use her dissolute fingers to hide the blood flower stamens.
She understood that the emperor was busy with state affairs, but Wei Yi wanted to take this opportunity to try to propose.

He Yuqing smiled. Only when you become a woman can you experience the happiness of a woman... It's time to persuade the saint to take time to love his concubines to relieve his boredom. Common people are the people, and concubines are the same, they all need love.

Chen Chen presented "Qing Ye Yin", a Xianbei ten-note tune handed down from the Northern Dynasties.

Pei Zhenyi presented the famous Taoist guzheng piece "Zhen Yi Ling Feng".

……

They are all beauties with many talents. Only when the imperial court is revitalized can we live in peace. Otherwise, the women present today would probably be abducted and sold by warriors like Zheng Zhaoyi, and even worse, they would become acquaintances at the table... He Yuqing couldn't help but glance at the saint not far away, unable to hide his love.

The saint sat on a stool, with female officials such as Zhao Ruxin, Yang Kezheng, Yuwen Rou, and Wenren Chuchu kneeling on his left and right sides. Opposite him were the Grand Marshal, Li Xi, Zheng Yanchang, and the Minister of Agriculture Li Qun.

"Zhu Wen sent an envoy to present a secret petition to apologize for his crime, and expressed his willingness to change his etiquette of serving the emperor, continue to perform official duties and tributes, and offer 1.5 million yuan to request the restoration of his official title." Li Xi handed over the secret petition, which contained Quanzhong's tearful words. "Your Majesty, why don't you agree to his request and earn his wealth first?" Zheng Yanchang said warmly. 1.5 million yuan was enough to pay the salaries of all officials in the Southern Court and the Northern Court this year.

Quanzhong has had a headache recently, with fires everywhere in the territory. When he tried to suppress one problem, another one arose. In Huaixi, Shao, the "General of Hengshan", gathered tens of thousands of Cai bandits and plundered Guang, Shen, and Yu states, just like another Sun Ru. He was fighting guerrilla warfare with the punitive army and was about to move into Songzhou to dig up Zhu Wen's ancestral grave. The Bian army was chasing and intercepting from all sides, and was in a state of panic.

In the east, Zhang Shaoguang, the governor of Suzhou, and Liu Zan, the governor of Chuzhou, appointed by Zhu Wen, were killed. Hou Song and Zhang Yun, two ambitious generals, actually raised their flags and rebelled at the same time. One surrendered to Yang Xingmi, and the other claimed to be a defense envoy. Their power was not strong, but disgusting.

The Wuchang army in the south also continued to be in chaos. The Hu bandits captured Jiangxia and threatened to conquer Ezhou, eliminate the evil of the generals and their subordinates, and sue the ruler and his subjects. Because he had been granted an imperial edict and appointed as an inspector by the court, he had great influence, and the powerful landlords followed him in exchange for food. Du Hongze, who had been stripped of all his positions, did not even dare to stay in Wuchang, and fled to Anlu County with his clan and confidants, ready to flee to Bianzhou in the north at any time.

Zhu Wen was troubled and asked to follow the example of Tian and Wu to make peace.

"Fixed?"

Is Zhu Wen also worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Tian Chengsi and Wu Shaocheng? They converted and were executed when they made peace with the emperor, and they said they would not cause trouble, but how could Zhu Wen do that? How could a person like Shi Siming make peace with the emperor?

"Ignore him." The saint cast his eyes on the Imperial Academy scholar Dugu Sun and said, "Reprimand Zhu Wen again, and send a copy of the imperial edict to the courts of Wei, Qing, Yan, Yun, and Xiang to inform them."

The imperial court will not compromise with Zhu Ni and will definitely join forces with everyone to kill him.

"I have two things to report." Minister of Agriculture Li Qun bowed. Seeing the saint nodded, he said, "During the fierce battle with Zhu Ni, the tribute from the Central Plains has been stopped. The southern transport of grain is through Xiangyang, Hanshui, and Danfeng Road, which is dangerous and wasteful. We must prepare for the rainy day and make plans for the difficult times. Last year, more than 88,600 households of hooligans and scattered people were resettled, totaling 500,000 people. I have discussed with my subordinates and I think that one is that this year's spring plowing, the three prefectures and two counties are allowed to only grow wheat, millet, and beans. This year's two taxes will also only collect wheat, millet, and beans..."

According to the report of the Sino-Agricultural Ministry, after the spring ploughing begins this year, all fields under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, regardless of their nature, whether they belong to the government or to anyone else, will be planted with wheat, millet, beans, rice, medicinal herbs, vegetables, fruits, onions, leeks, mulberry, etc., and the planting will be stopped or restricted. To put it bluntly, it is to protect the bottom line of food. Now the towns in the two rivers, two Huaihe Rivers, two He Rivers and Ji Rivers are successively involved in war, and all places are on the verge of famine. No, it is already the age of hunger.

In the third year of Guangqi, a dou of rice cost only 50 coins in Guangling, which was famous for its wealth. All the roots and fruits of trees were gone, and people had to eat mud. Most of the people starved to death. Xuanjun looted people and sold them in the market. They drove them away, tied them up, and slaughtered them like sheep and pigs. There was no sound. The corpses and blood filled the streets.

In the first year of Dashun, the people of Bian suffered from a disaster. Zhu Quanzhong sent Lei Ye, the Ya Ya, to Weizhou to buy grain with 10,000 taels of gold and silver. The people of Wei refused. He then asked to buy from Zhao, but the people of the town also refused. In the face of wealth, everyone chose to keep the grain.

In the second year of Dashun, there was a food shortage in Chengdu, with abandoned babies everywhere and corpses of starving people everywhere.

After Li Keyong fought back at Chiri Ridge and defeated Chengde's army, the Jin people had no food, so they dried their corpses and ate them.

……

In short, the war in the Central Plains will spread far and wide for a long time, and all parties, including the imperial court, must prepare for the worst. Ordinary people can live without seasonings and vegetables, and the kings and generals can tighten their belts, but they must have food. If the warriors have no food to eat, any reward will be useless; this is also the consequence that the ministers are most afraid of and worried about. Once the slaughterhouse is opened, the warriors will drive men and women regardless of their status... Beheading the emperor will destroy the Tang Dynasty, but catching them to eat meat is the most terrifying.

This matter, oh.

The common people and the imperial court should share the hard times. The sage himself was also planning to farm, and planned to plant fruits and vegetables in all the vacant land inside and outside the imperial city. He would not be like Emperor Zhaozong in later generations, who ate mud with his wife and children when he had no food to eat, and cooked wild vegetables and tree bark... Well, in fact, Concubine Shu was already doing it. She and the palace maids tidied up some vegetable plots and orchards outside the Lingqi Palace and the Right Yintai Gate.

"What's the other thing?" After taking a sip of water, the king and his ministers continued to discuss state affairs.

"Prohibit alcohol." This time it was the general who spoke, sighing, "Yesterday, the chiefs and deputy chiefs of the three ministries and the various treasurers held a meeting to calculate the expenditure. With the current military strength, the national expenditure will not be insufficient for two to three years. The main thing is the stock of wheat and millet, and we must consider locusts, drought, rain, and snow disasters. After discussion, we have decided to ban the people from brewing alcohol..."

This stuff, nowadays, is basically not brewed by ordinary people, only wealthy landlords and the imperial court's food officials can brew it. The three officials suggested that a wine monopoly official be set up to control it. Not only should common people be strictly prohibited, but also heavy taxes should be imposed on large landlords who brew wine. Official wine workshops such as the Guanglu Temple and the food official should also reduce production. If you want to drink, you have to get through these two years first. Who knows how chaotic it will be in the future?

Is it interesting to have the court beg the vassal states for food when things got as bad as during the Guangqi period? When the previous emperor was in Fengxiang, many ministers suffered from hunger and cold, and even lost their lives...

Thinking of this, the sage suddenly asked, "The last time Zhu Ni invaded the west, many court officials fled for refuge. How many people fled?"

"There are more than a thousand officials, but the clerks have no plan." Zheng Yanchang said unhappily, "Do these fence-sitters still want to be reinstated?"

This has happened before. When Zhu Mei rebelled, some people fled, and some people joined the rebellion. Afterwards, the other group of ministers who were in charge of the emperor came back and ordered the execution of all these people. Two prime ministers who were accused of incompetence were beheaded. After the chaos, the "Southern Court and Northern Court officials exceeded 10,000" during the heyday of the dynasty. Now, all kinds of regular jobs and dispatches are added up, not counting the officials employed by departments such as Yanziku. There is no need for political strongmen to reform and eliminate redundant officials. Most of the Chao army and warriors have been physically reduced.

Difficult to stretch.

Just as he was thinking about how to deal with these cowards, a woman came over with snacks. The saint's nose was filled with the unique body smell of a mature woman, and a unique voice full of charm and magnetism sounded beside him: "Qi Lang, all the teachers."

The saint turned around and took a look, then quickly stood up and bowed: "Greetings, sister-in-law!"

"I made this carved pastry." Meng Cairen placed the silver plate on the table. The crust of the carved pastry was snow-white, with a vermilion five-petal plum blossom printed on it, which was round and lovely.

"Okay...Okay, thank you, sister-in-law." The saint lowered his head, his words were unclear. He had never seen such a unique woman before. It was not because she was so beautiful, but because of the calmness of a thirty-year-old woman, and the unique body smell, which was no different from that of a young girl... No wonder Shao Ze loved to rape other people's wives...

She was wearing a black Taoist robe with purple gauze inside, and a dazzling trench was revealed between the firm full moon... There was a little bit of thought hidden in her quiet smile. Her quiet voice contained suppressed pain and the original charm of a woman. Her black hair was casually draped over her shoulders, and her powerful and beautiful waist would twist slightly with every step. Her eyes were as clear as a stone pond, and her deep red lips that had been licked with saliva were shining... Meng Cairen was not a beacon of love, but the kind of sister who became more addicted the more you looked at her... Tired of Zhao and He's faces, and cultivating the nineteen-year-old girl Zhu Xie Wusi, the saint was observing his sister-in-law deeply at this moment, and his heart was shaken unconsciously, and he was a little caught up in it.

"Cough cough." The general seemed to have discomfort in his throat.

Damn it, what am I thinking. Meng Cairen is my sister-in-law, how can I blaspheme her in my heart... He glanced at Meng Cairen who was kneeling alone and listening to the girls' fun, and suppressed his lust: "What were we talking about just now?"

"Punish the offending officials. There are a large number of people involved and they need to be handled properly." Zheng Yanchang said.

"Yes." The saint nodded absently.

"Since your majesty is tired, and it is the birthday of Concubine Shu, why don't you make a report tomorrow?" The general winked, and everyone stood up and bowed, saying, "We take our leave."

"Your Majesty has finished his work!" Concubine Chen ran over with a smile, took his elbow and sat down on the mat, then pushed his cold hands into his clothes and placed them in the lining of her skirt to warm them.

When the head of the family took his seat, the atmosphere of the banquet became lively, but this kind of excitement was limited to the saint's two sisters-in-law, Meng Cairen and Zheng Zhaoyi. The saint frequently said golden sentences to care about the mental health of his sisters-in-law, sometimes saying that the past is just a prologue, sometimes living in the present... The ladies realized that he was so good at coaxing people. He also told two strange stories that made Meng Cairen, who was unable to express her depression, cover her face and laugh. Shufei was isolated like air, but He Yuqing still greeted her with a full face and kept opening up topics, but the back of his white and tender hand holding the silver cup revealed blue veins, like the green marrow in a beautiful jade; his eyes seemed to be a tigress squatting in the dense forest watching the intruder, and wanted to bite the evil thief in front of him who was trying to please his sister-in-law to death.

So many women at home can’t satisfy Taotie?

The three beauties Wei Yi, Liu Qi and Chen Cailian are waiting for the saint to visit them, but the saint is so...

But that's not necessarily the case. He suddenly felt guilty. The saint was kind-hearted and loved the world, so his feelings towards the two sisters-in-law should be purely out of sympathy for their experiences...

In the evening, when the banquet was coming to an end, the sage did not leave first for the first time, and was still reminiscing about the old days in Western Shu with Meng Cairen with great interest. After a while, Meng Cairen looked at the sunset and felt a little tired. He stood up and bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, I am grateful for your concern. I would like to go back to Sanqing Palace to sleep."

"Please do as you wish, sister-in-law."

When the two passed each other, the saint felt the back of his hand being touched intentionally or unintentionally, and he was suddenly scared out of his wits. He turned around and saw that his beautiful sister-in-law had a smile on her lips and her eyes seemed to be saying: Thank you for your comfort; the saint nodded and smiled.

After the figures of Meng and Zheng disappeared, he quickly said hello to Concubine Shu and the others, then turned around and went back to Penglai Palace.

Wei Yi walked up to Xuanhui Envoy Yuwen Rou and looked at her sadly.

Rounu also listened to the Changmen complaint. As a woman, she could empathize with the situation the most. Not to mention favoring her, the saint should at least give Lady Wei a child.

"Miss Wei, please follow me."

Wei Yi's heart trembled, and his legs subconsciously tightened, and then he followed Rounu into the Penglai Palace. As soon as he entered, he heard the sound of water, and the saint called out: "Rounu, I'm bathing, don't come in."

"I won't come in." Rounu replied. After entering the inner room, he locked the door behind him and let the palace maid go out. Listening to the heavy breathing behind the beaded curtain, Wei Yi blushed and bowed to Yuwen Rou: "Thank you for your help. I would like to reward the Xuanhui Envoy with 800 gold later."

After saying that, he lifted the curtain and walked in, walking around the screen. He saw thick mist inside and vaguely saw a person leaning against the wall of the barrel with his eyes closed.

Wei Yi was distracted and accidentally kicked the wooden frame. The person in the barrel looked over. At this point, Wei Yi's heart was filled with lust. She took off her clothes with her hands and said with rapid breathing: "I have been in the palace for four years but have not been able to get close to anyone. The saint also knows that I am lonely. Today, we meet, please fulfill my longing. I want a child."

　Not in good condition and absent-minded.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)