The letter from Southern Chu was submitted.
Li Yuanjing looked displeased. He opened the letter sent by the State of Southern Chu and read it ten lines at a glance. The room was filled with the subtle fragrance of red plum blossoms, and Li Yuanjing pursed his thin lips into a straight line.
After reading the letter from the State of Southern Chu, he put it aside.
Li Chengtai beside him stretched out his chubby little hand and opened the book of Southern Chu. Li Chengtai said in a soft voice: "Nan Chu wants to discuss border trade with our Daqing. We will send an envoy to discuss the details in the spring of next year. In addition, we will go to Qiuliang Palace to worship the ancestral ruins."
Qiuliang Palace, the former residence of the founding empress of Southern Chu.
It has not been demolished yet.
Li Chengtai: "Father, is Nanchu asking for peace?"
Li Yuanjing nodded: "I think so."
Prince Heng Li Yuanli failed in his bid for the throne and fled from Qing territory and ran back to Southern Chu. He has half the blood of the Southern Chu royal family, and with iron-blooded means, he became the emperor of Southern Chu.
Nanchu originally wanted to unite with Donglin to fight back against Qing Kingdom. However, the Donglin Kingdom was strangled by a dam, and the alliance between the two countries collapsed.
Now, Li Yuanli of Southern Chu took the initiative to present a letter from the state, apparently seeking peace.
Li Yuanjing had a gloomy look on his face. He had always been wary of his half-brother.
Li Yuanjing fetched paper and pen and quickly issued two imperial edicts.
The south continued to train troops and strengthen border defenses to prevent Southern Chu from crossing the border.
...
...
Half a month later, in the Nanchu Palace.
Nan Chu is located in the south, and only the northern territory close to Qing State has snow. In most other territories, the weather has only cooled down since the beginning of winter, but there has been no heavy snow.
In the luxurious imperial study, a faint fragrance floats in the air and clusters of roses bloom in the corners. An extremely soft woolen cushion was placed at the corner of the emperor's desk, and a fat white fox was sleeping soundly on the cushion.
Several white-haired ministers knelt on the ground and kowtowed, begging: "Your Majesty, the harem is without a master, and the world is in turmoil. Please appoint a concubine as the queen to stabilize the situation."
The old ministers begged bitterly.
After the new emperor of Southern Chu ascended the throne, he was decisive in killing and created his kingdom from a pile of blood. After Li Yuanli ascended the throne, he was neither very benevolent nor incompetent. His character was somewhat violent and casual, and no one could figure out what he was thinking.
There were more than ten concubines in the harem of Southern Chu, but none of them was favored by Li Yuanli. He still hadn't appointed a queen, and despite the advice from his ministers for several years, Li Yuanli still ignored it.
Li Yuanli threw the memorial away and it landed on the head of an old minister. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Without a master in the harem, the world is in turmoil... I want to see how it will be in turmoil."
Several old ministers remained silent.
Li Yuanli raised his hand and said, "If you keep making noise, you will lose your life today."
The old ministers were sweating profusely.
The Southern Chu State had been in chaos for many years. In the past twenty years, there had been more than a dozen emperors. There had been constant open and covert fighting, the royal family had been fighting to the death, and the people had been suffering. The emperor before him was a king who had emerged from a pile of slaughter. He had suppressed the chaos with force and had firmly established himself on the throne.
It doesn't work to reason with him.
There was once a group of old ministers and unwilling royal family members who repeatedly attempted to rebel. However, Li Yuanli held great power in the army and controlled a group of murderous secret guards.
Li Yuanli was a man who never observed etiquette and laws. He killed people back and forth more than ten times. Most of the royal family members who could seize the throne of Southern Chu were killed by him, and there were only a few left.
Most of the royal family members and ministers he killed were corrupt and embezzlers. As a result of this killing, Li Yuanli gained a very good reputation among the people.
Southern Chu has been in chaos for decades. It does not need a benevolent monarch, but a "tyrant" to stabilize the government.
Li Yuanli said casually: "Get lost."
The old ministers trembled and left with their heads down.
Li Yuanli leaned back on the dragon throne, his handsome eyebrows and charming eyes slightly lowered, hiding the disgust and brutality in his eyes. The room was quiet and the scent of roses lingered in the air.
He closed his eyes and took a nap.
The white fox lay quietly on the cushion, breathing rising and falling.
After a moment, a eunuch walked in with his head lowered: "Your Majesty, the letter from Qing Kingdom has arrived."
Li Yuanli slowly opened his eyes.
The eunuch held the Qing Kingdom's letter and reported, "Your Majesty, rest assured. The paper has been carefully checked inside and out and there is no toxic residue. You can read it without worry."
The emperors of the two countries had a bad relationship and both were worried that poison might be inserted in the letters. Only after careful investigation will the letter be sent to the emperor.
Li Yuanli flipped through the imperial letter, read ten lines at a glance, and glanced with disdain.
...
Qing country.
At dusk, the imperial city was covered with white snow. After finishing his official duties, Li Yuanjing walked on the snow back to Yongning Palace.
The weather was cold, and Shen Wei stayed in the warm room all day busy.
Li Yuanjing walked into the warm room and saw Shen Wei leaning on the gold-embroidered couch reading a book. The room was warm and cozy. Shen Wei was only wearing a thin scarlet dress embroidered with plum blossoms. She had a slender figure. The sunlight seeped in through the window lattice behind her, casting a thin halo on Shen Wei.
Red plum blossoms are blooming in the white jade vase beside the table. Shen Wei was absorbed in reading. Her slender fingers turned a page, making a slight rustling sound.
It's like an exquisite fine brush painting.
Li Yuanjing stopped to admire it for a moment before walking in.
"Your Majesty, you're back." Shen Wei seemed to have just heard the footsteps and put down the book in her hand.
Li Yuanjing sat down next to him and asked, "What book are you reading that makes you so obsessed?"
Shen Wei smiled and said, "It's a popular book in Yanjing City. My mother brought it here yesterday."
Shen Wei's mother, Shen, would occasionally come to the palace to accompany Shen Wei for a day or two. Shen was afraid that Shen Wei would be bored in the palace, so she brought a lot of interesting storybooks.
Whenever Chen Wei had some free time, she would flip through the storybook. Almost all of these storybooks were published by her bookstore.
It mainly tells the story of the lingering love between men and women, and incorporates some elements of modern melodramatic idol dramas. It is very popular in Yanjing, especially among the young ladies in the boudoir.
The storybook became popular and was adapted into a play, which was performed in the opera theater opened by Shen Wei. The theater was always packed.
With these storybooks and dramas, Shen Wei's newly opened bookstore and opera theater made a lot of money.
"Is this storybook really that interesting?" Li Yuanjing became interested. "I'll take a look too."
It was freezing cold, and the two of them snuggled in the warm room, flipping through a picture book together. The window frame was suddenly knocked by the cold wind, and the tiger guard came outside the warm room, seemingly with something urgent to report.
Li Yuanjing lifted the door curtain: "What's the matter?"
Tiger Guard said, "Your Majesty, the people of the five counties east of Yunzhou have rebelled! They have set fire to the county government and rushed into the granary to steal grain and cotton!"
Li Yuanjing's expression turned cold: "Call Sun Zheng and Ye Qiu from the military department to the palace!"
Li Yuanjing was about to leave, but after taking two steps, he told Shen Wei, "You don't have to wait for me for dinner today, go to bed early."
Shen Wei nodded slightly and sent Li Yuanjing out.
Only when Li Yuanjing's back disappeared in the snow did Shen Wei return to the warm room.
This winter is exceptionally cold, with small-scale snow disasters occurring in many places in the north. The imperial court promptly distributed relief grain, purchased large quantities of cotton, and lowered the price of cotton to ensure that the people could survive the cold winter as much as possible.
The situation in all the provinces was calm and the people could barely survive the cold winter. Why did the people of Yunzhou start to riot?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
