Living Bodhisattva
The heavy door hinges of the treasury were pushed open, and a musty smell of stale dirt and dirt hit us in the face.
The sunlight filtered through the crack in the door, illuminating the piles of boxes, cages, and sacks.
Boxes and chests of gold and silver stood tall, granaries stood in rows, and dusty silks were piled up like mountains—this was the wealth that the Chen and Liu families had accumulated at the cost of countless lives, and now it had changed hands in an instant.
Shen Qingyan was pale, wrapped in a thick fur coat, and was standing at the door with someone supporting him.
His thin figure was almost swallowed by the huge shadow of wealth, and his suppressed coughs were particularly clear in the empty warehouse. "Your Highness, the stolen goods collected by Liu Mian and Chen Wanshan are all here. Please tell me how to deal with them."
Ning Lingyi stood one step away from him, dressed in a plain indigo uniform, her face calm.
She didn't look at the mountains of gold and grain, but her eyes fell on Shen Qingyan's straight back: "The gold and silver in this warehouse are actually more than the treasury of a princess like me. Three years as a magistrate, one hundred thousand silver coins, it's true."
"Investigate the property that was taken away. If there is evidence, return it according to the evidence. If there is no evidence, return it after verification. Not a grain of rice or a copper coin can be lost."
Glancing at the grain storage, she continued, "Open the granaries to provide relief to the disaster victims. Each laborer receiving work-for-relief will receive an additional half-liter of brown rice daily. Ensure they are well fed. Winter clothing will be distributed per head. While the weather is still warm, cut wood and make bricks to build wind-resistant houses."
"Since Mingzhou is my fiefdom, the people of Mingzhou are my people."
She thought for a moment and said, "Clear the land that the Chen family has seized and distribute it to the victims, dividing it up clearly by household and by adult. Tell them that this land will be tax-free for the first three years."
Shen Qingyan's eyes suddenly lit up, and then his worry deepened: "Your Highness, this is an extraordinary move. Dividing the land involves too many things. I'm afraid..."
"What are you afraid of?" Ning Lingyi interrupted him. "Are you afraid of touching someone else's flesh? In Mingzhou, since I've already opened the surgery, I don't mind a few more cuts. Go ahead and do it."
The command is concise, and every word carries weight.
Shen Qingyan took a deep breath, suppressed the dull pain in his chest, and bowed: "Your Majesty, I obey your command."
The wealth held by the powerful and bureaucrats began to flow back into the hands of the people.
The news was like a warm breeze, flying across Mingzhou in the cold sky.
First there was a dead silence of disbelief, then a timid attempt to approach the newly posted notice at the government office. Then came suppressed sobs, which eventually merged into a riverbank-like sound, less sorrow and anger, and more scorching vitality.
"The land is being divided! The land is really being divided!"
"Tax exemption! For three years!"
"The government warehouse has released grain! Your Highness, please have mercy!"
At the gate of the government office, a long queue of people waiting to collect grain snaked around, and the frost-cracked faces finally showed some light.
Outside the city, sturdy adobe and wooden houses broke through the ground like new bamboo shoots. Beside the new field ridges, someone knelt down, stroking the cold soil with trembling hands, as if looking for lost flesh and blood.
In the depths of winter, Mingzhou City exudes a tragic vitality.
A few days later at noon, snowflakes rustled against the window.
In the study of the princess's mansion, the charcoal basin was burning brightly.
Ning Lingyi frowned as she stared at a map of Mingzhou's water veins, her fingertips running across the surface. Pan Hao stood by with his sword in hand, looking at her with mixed emotions in his eyes.
Shen Qingyan sat aside and reported: "Hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland and wasteland have been confiscated, and tens of thousands of landless farmers have been resettled. In addition, 20,000 to 30,000 people have been provided with work-for-relief. The cost of water conservancy projects, housing construction, road construction, and other projects is estimated to be close to 200,000 taels of silver."
"Everyone in Mingzhou is grateful to the princess. The people pray every day that the princess can stay in Mingzhou for a long time. Some even built a shrine for you..."
Ning Lingyi frowned and said, "Forget about the other things, just close the ancestral temple."
At this time, Lu Qiao quietly announced, "Your Highness, there is a woman outside the door asking to see you. She calls herself Su Qingfan. I have come to thank Your Highness for returning the family property and redressing my father's grievances."
Ning Lingyi looked up, a hint of surprise in her eyes: "Su family boat? Let her in."
The door curtain was lifted, bringing in a gust of cold air.
The woman was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a slender figure. She wore a starched and ironed indigo skirt, her black hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin, her eyebrows were delicate, her jaw was tight, and there was stubbornness in her eyes.
She walked a few steps to the desk, bowed deeply, and said, "I, Su Qingfan, bow to thank Her Royal Highness Princess Mingzhu for her great kindness."
"Stand up and talk." Ning Lingyi put down the scroll. "Su Yuanhang is your father?"
"Yes." Su Qingfan stood up as instructed, his hands hanging down, his posture respectful yet firm. "My father ran the Shunfeng for over thirty years. After he died, the shipping company was taken away by someone else. If it weren't for Your Highness's drastic measures, I, Su Qingfan, would probably never see the light of day again in this lifetime."
Her tone was steady, as if she was talking about someone else.
"I've returned your things, and justice has been done." Ning Lingyi looked at her with a calm tone, "What are your plans for the future? To rebuild the Shunfeng?"
Su Qingfan raised his head and looked directly into Ning Lingyi's eyes: "Your Highness, I am not here today just to express my gratitude."
She paused, her voice low but remarkably clear, "The Su family has suffered a great disaster, but we still have a dozen old ships and dozens of old men left. I, Su Qingfan, am willing to bring my men and my ships to serve Your Highness!"
For a moment, the only sound in the study was the crackling of the charcoal fire.
"Follow me?"
Ning Lingyi tapped the cold armrest with her fingertips, her gaze like a deep pool. "The swords of this world sometimes don't draw blood, but they can sever a life's path. Your ship isn't heading for a peaceful harbor; it could capsize in an instant. Have you truly thought this through?"
Su Qingfan listened quietly, without any fear on his face, and his thin back straightened even more.
She met Ning Lingyi's scrutinizing gaze and said, "Your Highness, I've lived to this day. I've seen corpses and the flash of swords. Being able to stand before you isn't a matter of luck. I've crawled here step by step, gritting my teeth and bleeding."
"In this world, there are whirlpools everywhere. Instead of huddling on the shore, waiting for the next wave to hit and drown you, it's better to jump onto the boat yourself."
"Jump onto the boat?" Ning Lingyi raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Yes." Su Qingfan's eyes were blazing. "Jump aboard your boat. Your Highness wants to govern Mingzhou, develop water conservancy projects, open up trade routes, and improve the lives of the people. Without a boat, you can't move forward. I, Su Qingfan, don't have any special skills, but I have the experience of making a living on the water. I am willing to steer the ship for Your Highness and clear the waterway!"
Ning Lingyi looked at her deeply.
She understood the light in the girl's eyes.
Mingzhou can't have only Shen Qingyan, she needs more people.
After a long pause, Ning Lingyi slowly nodded, "Alright. I'll take your ship, and I'll keep your men in my memory. Go find Chen Changshi, he's in charge of all these matters related to the Mingzhou Canal Transport and Merchants Road. Go and help him, and let me see what you can do."
"Su Qingfan thanks Your Highness." She bowed deeply again.
Later historical books have described in detail the power of the female prime minister Su Qingfan, but no one knows that the most thrilling turning point in her life began at this moment when snow was falling in Mingzhou. She met the gaze of Princess Mingzhu and let herself be swept up in the torrent of an era.
*
In a mansion somewhere in Minnesota.
Tuoba Hong stood with his hands behind his back in front of the open window, his black cloak blown by the cold wind. He looked out the window at the Mingzhou city walls blurred by snow particles, his eyes gloomy.
Altan stood in the shadows with his hands hanging down, reporting on the happenings in the city.
"The princess opened the government granary and distributed grain as relief. Laborers received an additional rice each day, winter clothing was provided, families received houses, and land was distributed according to the number of people in each household. Taxes were exempted for three years. The people all called her a living Bodhisattva..."
"Living Bodhisattva?" Tuoba Hong repeated in a low voice, with no emotion in his voice.
He thought of the straight-backed figure on the riverbank, the decisive sword strike in front of the government office, and now, this "living Bodhisattva".
"Naive." He spat out two words.
Did she think that killing a few officials, distributing some food and land would change this rotten root?
The Southern Dynasty, from the imperial court to the countryside, was already riddled with holes. How could a princess with such shallow roots shake it up? This hustle and bustle was nothing but rootless duckweed.
"Altan."
"I'm here."
"Have three teams of Canglang Guards disguised as traveling merchants infiltrate the wealthy regions of Jiangnan and Huguang," he said in a low, commanding voice. "Find those profit-seeking grain merchants and tell them I have gold sand and fine furs. As long as the grain and fodder can be shipped to the northern border, by land or sea, the price is negotiable."
Altan's eyes flickered slightly. "Yes. I'll do it immediately."
This decadent and weak Southern Dynasty was like a piece of fat meat emitting an alluring aroma, exposed before the eyes of this northern wolf.
The ambition to annex slowly awakens in my chest.
At this moment, the guard outside the door announced: "Your Highness, someone from the Princess's residence has come with the Princess's orders to deliver food and fodder."
Tuoba Hong turned around suddenly.
she?
A guard from the princess's residence stepped forward and presented an unsealed letter with both hands. "Your Highness, the princess has instructed me to inform you that the food and fodder are ready and stored in the old warehouse at the south city pier. With this letter and your Highness's seal, you can pick it up at any time."
"Her Royal Highness has also prepared a hundred tons of salt and a batch of medicinal herbs for frostbite. They will be stored with the grain in the old warehouse and will be delivered later."
Tuoba Hong took the letter.
There is a line of clear and small characters above:
"With so little food and medicine, it's hard to relieve the distress in the north. This is just a token of my gratitude. I hope you'll use it wisely and help you get through the cold winter."
No heading, no signature.
Tuoba Hong held the letter in his hand, his fingertips pausing on the paper.
He stared at the words. She knew he needed a huge amount. Although this food could not cure the disease, it could save lives, the lives of the women and children in Beishuo. Not to mention salt and herbs.
She knew that if this matter went wrong, it would be treason and aiding the enemy.
But she gave it.
He had just ordered the emptying of grain reserves from the very foundation of her country.
He stood there in silence, snowflakes falling on his shoulders.
Finally, he put away the letter and said in a steady voice, "Thank you, Princess, for me."
He turned around and walked back to the desk, picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, quickly wrote a few lines of Beishuo script on the plain paper, folded it, and handed it to Altan.
"Send a team of elite soldiers with this letter, and return to the royal court day and night." Tuoba Hong said in a low and decisive voice, "Pick 3,000 of the best war horses, secretly transport them to Mingzhou and give them to Princess Mingzhu. Say it's a return gift."
Altan took the letter, a look of surprise flashed across his face, and then he lowered his head: "Yes! I will do it myself!"
Tuoba Hong stopped looking out the window, his tall figure sinking into the deepening dusk and falling snow. This snowstorm reminded him of the snowstorm in Beishuo long ago that buried many people, including his mother.
The wind and snow will come again; he must get the food and fodder.
He also wants to get Princess Mingzhu.
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