What's even more outrageous is that the supervising official of the Yunzhou dam construction project was the male member of the Xie family who had occupied the hunter's quota for the imperial examination. The men in the Xie family were illiterate and embezzled the money for building the dam. The dam was destroyed when a major flood occurred, and tens of thousands of people were displaced.
Recalling the past, the Queen Mother closed her eyes solemnly: "It was then that I realized that I had made a mistake. The partiality and indulgence of those in high positions and power are like a torrential flood to the common people."
If the Queen Mother had not favored the Xie family, she would have allowed the talented and capable hunter to be an official. The dam built by the hunters would not collapse, and tens of thousands of people would not suffer heavy casualties.
Those in power control the fate of hundreds of millions of ordinary people.
When those in power become greedy and selfish, the people suffer.
The Queen Mother sighed, her eyes becoming more and more aged. "The noble families are the termites of Daqing. If they are not suppressed, Daqing will be eaten away by them sooner or later. I am a daughter of the Xie family, and I am also the mother of Qing. How can I harm my family and country for my own selfish reasons?"
The Queen Mother took the initiative to cut ties with the Xie family, hoping that the Xie family would keep a low profile.
However, the greedy Xie family was still ambitious and married into the Wu family, gradually sending themselves to the grave.
In the courtyard of Yongning Palace, the breeze blew, and the autumn chrysanthemums in the yard swayed.
Shen Wei added hot tea to the Queen Mother's glass and understood why the Queen Mother took a liking to her.
Chen Wei is not a girl from an aristocratic family. She was born in poverty but cares about the people. She does not show favoritism to her family. She is a good parent and can help Li Yuanjing suppress the aristocratic families. She is the most qualified virtuous wife who assists the king.
The Queen Mother held Shen Wei's hand, her tone full of hope: "You should take good care of yourself. I hope you can accompany Yuan Jing for a few more decades."
Shen Wei nodded gently: "Mother, I know."
The Empress Dowager looked tired and talked with Shen Wei for a while. She was exhausted and left Yongning Palace with the help of Nanny Qian. Shen Wei watched the Queen Mother leave. In just a few days, the Queen Mother seemed to have aged all of a sudden.
Chen Wei sighed inwardly, called Leyou and several other children over, and gave them careful instructions, asking them to spend more time with the Queen Mother every day.
...
When it gets dark, palace lanterns light up, dispelling the coldness in the palace and casting a dim light on the walls.
Li Yuanjing lifted the pearl curtain.
He saw Shen Wei holding a bowl of steaming pork rib soup in her left hand and sipping it; she was flipping through a map with her right hand, looking at it with a squint, as if she was thinking.
Shen Wei looked much better, and her face, which had been pale for several days, had a blush on it.
Li Yuanjing secretly felt relieved.
He didn't like Chen Wei's pale and sickly appearance. She was like sand in the palm of his hand, which could not be grasped and easily slipped away, causing him to feel a dull pain in his heart.
The lively, healthy, rosy-cheeked Shen Wei made him feel at ease.
"What are you looking at?" Li Yuanjing sat down and picked up the map next to Shen Wei.
This is a layout map of the harem palace, with palace gates of all sizes listed in it.
Shen Wei put down the soup bowl and stared at Li Yuanjing with her dark eyes: "The Princess of Donglin Kingdom is coming. I am thinking about which palace to arrange for her to stay in. What position does the emperor plan to give her?"
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