Chapter 92, Part 3: Summer Rain and Frosty Cold

Compared to Zu Ti, Zu Yue did not have much prestige, and few local officials in Liangzhou participated. In addition, with Pu Hong keeping him in check, Li Xiong did not take many actions. Liu Qi was also good at managing the situation, so Zu Yue's rebellion did not cause much of a stir. By the time Zhuge Yong arrived in Nanzheng, the rebellion had already been completely quelled.

"Does my lord have any other instructions?" After Zhuge Yong finished reading the imperial edict and everyone dispersed, Liu Qi stayed behind under some pretext.

Zhuge Yong said in a low voice, "My lord once said that among Liu's sons, you are the most intelligent and resourceful. I suppose you have already investigated the person behind the ancestral agreement. Do you have any clues?"

"Jingzhou." Liu Qi said without hesitation, "It is very likely that it belongs to Wang Chuzhong."

"Just as I thought," Zhuge Yong murmured, taking out a fine silk cloth from a box beside him. Sure enough, the words "Wang Dun" were written on it in sharp, cursive script.

Before Liu Qi could even express his feelings, Zhuge Yong added, "Not only that, but when the lord sent people to investigate, it was discovered that the reason Duan Pidi had not sent troops was also due to this villain's machinations."

"What?" Liu Qi's elder brother had also died in Dingxiang, and upon hearing this, he staggered.

Zhuge Yong helped him up, "I heard that he fears losing power and doesn't want Duke Zhongmin to cross the river to the south, so he has colluded with Duan Pidi and Shi Le. I also heard that Duan Pidi's brother, Duan Mobo, and Shi Le's son, Shi Hong, were both bribed by him with large sums of money and slandered by him..."

Liu Qi's eyes were bloodshot with rage. "For his own selfish gain, he did not hesitate to slander loyal officials and hand over the land and its people to others. How can such a despicable person have the face to sit in the imperial court?"

"Ziyi, please calm down," Zhuge Yong reassured him. "Before leaving, Your Excellency asked me to convey a message that he already has a plan. Please remain calm and patient."

Liu Qi nodded with tears in his eyes, "Looking at the world now, besides you, my lord, who else can be the pillar that holds up the sky and the golden beam that spans the sea? I have faith in you, my lord."

At this time, Liu Jun was far from being as at ease as they had imagined. On one hand, there was a severe drought in Guanzhong, and the imperial court was running out of food supplies. On the other hand, Sima Ye had contracted a cold and was suffering from a persistent high fever.

So Liu Jun was busy with court affairs during the day and had to attend to Sima Ye in the evening. He was so busy that he was overwhelmed with work. It wasn't until he caught a glimpse of palace servants hanging human-shaped mugwort on the door and calamus wine on the table that he realized it was the Dragon Boat Festival.

"Many young knights-errant from Chang'an are currently racing boats on the Qujiang River. Why don't you go?" Sima Ye leaned against the armrest, signaling the palace servants to move Liu Jun's seat further away to prevent him from catching the illness.

"Jun is neither a young man nor a wandering knight, why should he join in this fun?" Liu Jun waved away the palace servants and continued to review the memorials on his own.

Sima Ye stared intently at his profile, then suddenly sighed softly, “When I think of the starving people a hundred miles away, the people exchanging children to eat each other, even the most beautiful flowers and the most lavish banquets and the most lively flying boats in Chang’an will lose their charm.”

"His Majesty loves his people like his own children," Liu Jun said dryly, calculating the granaries of each state with a headache. "Sometimes I really wish I could find some refugees to break into Du Dan's mansion and plunder it. Maybe his family could save ten thousand disaster victims."

Sima Ye chuckled, his pale face regaining some color with the smile. "You're taking revenge for personal reasons. But what you said makes sense. How about we cut palace expenses by another 30% immediately? It's just a drop in the ocean, but better than nothing."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." After reading the last few memorials, Liu Jun personally presented them to Sima Ye. "I have already done a preliminary screening. These are the most important ones. Please take a look, Your Majesty."

Sima Ye casually picked up a document that Liu Jun had set aside. Sure enough, it was a memorial praising the emperor and asking for an official position. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "There's no need to be so strict. Let me take a look and have some fun."

Liu Jun readily passed on the rest of the memorials, and as expected, Sima Ye gave up after reading a few and instead focused on reading the few that Liu Jun had selected.

“Minister Sikong,” Bi Gong reported in a low voice, “the envoys of the Di and Qiang have arrived. For some reason, they are making a fuss about visiting you so late.”

"Does Your Majesty have the capacity to see him?" Liu Jun tucked the blanket around Sima Ye.

Sima Ye shook his head, "I am ill and cannot even get out of bed. How can I meet with the envoy? Please ask the Minister of Works to do it for me."

Liu Jun bowed in agreement, took a few steps and then turned back, took out three or four tangerines from his sleeve, and said with a smile, "There is a county in Liangzhou called Chenggu, which is rich in timber. This year's harvest was not good, and I only sent ten with my family the other day. I dare to offer them to Your Majesty."

Over the years, whenever Liu Jun had the opportunity, he would present some tangerines as tribute. Sima Ye never gave them to anyone except Wen Qiao. He couldn't bear to throw away the peels left after eating the pulp, so he ordered people to dry them, crush them, and make them into sachets.

Sima Ye squinted at the tangerine, peeled a segment and put it into Liu Jun's mouth, saying softly, "Go and come back soon."

When Liu Jun hurriedly appeared in the Xuan Shi Hall, he reverted to his usual cold and stern demeanor, which never showed his emotions.

The Di envoy was Pu An, the younger brother of Pu Hong, while the Qiang envoy was named Yao Youzhong. Judging from their names, they seemed to be related to Yao Yizhong. Even though they were in the same hall, the two envoys did not even glance at each other, and they sat as if separated by vast distances.

Liu Jun found it amusing, coughed lightly, and after exchanging greetings, said, "His Majesty originally intended to come in person, but unfortunately he was unable to attend to both of you, so he ordered me to meet with you both. Whatever requests the Di and Qiang tribes may have, I can convey them to His Majesty on their behalf."

"Master Sikong, there is a severe drought in Guanzhong. Not a blade of grass grows. Our cattle and sheep have no grass to eat, and the herdsmen do not know where to graze their livestock..." Yao Youzhong seized the opportunity and immediately began to complain.

Pu'an retorted, "Besides raising horses, our clan mainly relies on farming for a living. But when it stops raining, the crops wither in the fields, so we have no choice but to slaughter our oxen, donkeys, and horses for food. It seems we have no way to survive!"

Liu Jun listened quietly. Over the past ten years, apart from war and internal strife, even the weather has been uncooperative, with each year becoming more bitter and colder, and the rainfall decreasing year by year.

This is why the Hu people could not feed themselves on their own, so they had no choice but to invade the Central Plains from the grasslands and plunder, which led to chaos throughout the land.

“I know your troubles,” Liu Jun interrupted their incessant chatter. “The Central Plains are exhausted, and the court is living beyond its means, with little spare capacity. You should also be aware of these difficulties…”

“Since we have pledged allegiance to the Jin Emperor, the court cannot ignore us…” Yao Youzhong’s face turned red as he loudly questioned.

Pu An was clearly more composed, staring intently at Liu Jun without blinking.

"The imperial court doesn't have much spare capacity, but it will do everything in its power." Liu Jun glanced at Yao Youzhong indifferently. "The imperial court has already transferred rice from Liangzhou, which will arrive in Chang'an soon. Although it's not a lot, it should be enough to last for a while."

The two breathed a sigh of relief, then heard Liu Jun say, "However, whether it's money or grain, if you ask for it again later, the court can't just give it to you for free."

“I once read the ‘Weilue’s Biography of the Western Rong,’ which states that both the Di and Qiang peoples are quite skilled at animal husbandry. How about we exchange cattle, horses, donkeys, and mules for grain in the future?” Liu Jun said with a smile.

Pu An and Yao Youzhong exchanged a glance, then said, moved, "Yes!"