141 Sacrifice
◎How can the officer let this child go?◎
Fu Hua was overjoyed and asked hurriedly, "What's the solution?"
The old Taoist kept the question a secret at first, then continued slowly, "In the years since Your Majesty ascended the throne, disasters have struck numerous places, accompanied by unrest and instability. The relationship between wives and concubines has been reversed, resulting in Your Majesty having few children and a weak bond with his siblings, and your health is in jeopardy."
These were all obvious, requiring no explanation. Fu Hua had been troubled by these issues for a long time. He said there was no solution, but more than anything, he simply didn't want to.
Rong Qianyu and I often have a lot of disagreements, and the end result is either a bad breakup or a big fight, every time, without exception.
Rong Qianyu once wanted to mediate, but Fu Hua was a self-righteous and stubborn person. He only believed in his own words and usually did not take other people's words to heart.
As for the issue of having few offspring, he had been on the throne for nearly four years and had only given birth to two children. Compared with the previous emperor, he had not even a fraction of the previous emperor's. Having few offspring was not a good thing for the royal family.
It seems that the position of crown prince can only be given to the eldest son, but he is really unwilling to accept it. He has been a rather cowardly emperor.
He was unwilling to allow Qianyu to take the position of Queen Mother, but he could not get rid of her. He wanted to make Cui Rumei's child the crown prince, but this mother's reputation was too bad.
Over time, many things became unresolved old stories and were no longer taken seriously.
"I'm afraid it will be..."
"How?" Fu Hua asked.
"Ninety-nine beautiful, healthy, and clean-born children must be selected. They must be dressed in gorgeous attire and adorned with precious jewels. On the day of the sacrifice, they must be brought to the highest mountain in the south. I will perform a ritual and pray for the stability of the country."
"Ninety-nine children, what are we going to do?"
"Bathe and change clothes, use knockout drugs to make these children unconscious, bury them in the ground, and pray for good weather, peace and prosperity for the country and the people." The old Taoist said it calmly. In his words, killing hundreds of people seemed to be no different from killing a sheep or a chicken.
"Sacrificing a child?"
Fu Hua hesitated and didn't know what to say for a long time. Although he was a bastard, he could still distinguish right from wrong. Things like sacrificing living people really undermined the royal dignity.
"This is a very ancient method. Although dangerous, it is of great benefit. For the sake of your majesty's health and the country, this sacrifice is nothing. Exchanging ninety-nine children for the eternal security of the Great Zhou Dynasty—isn't that a good thing?"
The old Taoist priest was trying hard to wink at Cui Rumei, hoping that she could persuade Fu Hua.
"Do we really want to do this?" Fu Hua hesitated and was at a loss for a moment.
It seems worthwhile to sacrifice a hundred children in exchange for the health and stability of the country. A hundred lives are nothing compared to the number of soldiers who died on the battlefield.
Seeing that he couldn't make up his mind, Cui Rumei immediately rushed over and advised with a smile: "Your Majesty, this Taoist priest is right. Compared with your Majesty's kingdom, these few people are nothing."
The room was silent. The old Taoist and Cui Rumei stared at each other for a long time. Fu Hua still seemed to be hesitant to speak, his words lingering in his throat, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
"Has Your Majesty ever taken any elixir?"
The old Taoist suddenly spoke, breaking the silence, and took out a pill from his sleeve, "Your Majesty seems to have a look of worry between his brows. Perhaps you are not doing well in bed? I have a secret recipe that I would also like to offer to Your Majesty."
Fu Hua took the pill doubtfully and swallowed it. Perhaps it was a psychological effect or some other reason, but he was surprised to find that he felt much better.
"It really works! I feel much more energetic after eating it."
The old Taoist handed another bag to Cui Rumei and gave Fu Hua a special instruction: "Your Majesty, follow my advice and take one pill before sex. You will feel more comfortable. If you give this to your concubines, any woman will serve your Majesty obediently."
This was exactly what Fu Hua wanted, and he agreed without hesitation. "Then issue an order to search the entire city for ninety-nine children. Quickly!"
With the position of Chief Seal of the Imperial Household Department vacant, many decrees were issued by the emperor himself, saving considerable time and allowing Fu Hua to become even more reckless. In the past, there was Xue Ji, and ministers would persuade him, but now anyone who dared to speak up would likely be forced to join the former Chief Seal.
As soon as the imperial edict was issued, many soldiers and officers in the capital began to abduct children. Tall horses raced through the busy streets, and the people were so worried that no one dared to let their children out into the streets.
This atmosphere lasted for ten days. The order from above was that some smart and talented people were needed, to put it bluntly, children from good families. However, the officers and soldiers could not afford to offend such high-ranking officials, so they could only capture children from ordinary people in the capital.
These people have no foundation, so they can just rob. If they dare to say anything more, I'm afraid more than one child will be lost.
Today, several officers and soldiers arrived at a remote courtyard. The family made a living by farming and running a small business. A man entered the house and took away the owner's five-year-old son. The elderly mother cried and begged for mercy, but the man turned a deaf ear.
The man was dressed as a soldier, probably just an official sent by the higher-ups to do some official business. He grabbed the child tightly and kicked the child's mother away.
The woman was kicked in the abdomen. She struggled to get up and hugged the man's legs. "What are you doing? Where are you taking my son?"
The neighbors around just watched the excitement, no one dared to say anything. A soldier said: "It's a blessing for him to be chosen. Your ancestors must have burned incense to thank you!"
The child struggled on the man and cried for help. The child's voice was very penetrating, with tears streaming down his face. His voice was a little hoarse, which made people feel uncomfortable.
"Mother! Mother! Help me, mother!!"
The man of the house came back, dropped his hoe and ran to grab the child, but after all, ordinary people were no match for the soldiers, and he was subdued in a few moves.
"Sir, my family is just a poor one. Please have mercy on us and let us go. Please, let my child go." The child's mother had no choice but to kneel down and kowtow.
A soldier helped the man up. His voice seemed concerned, but his words were extremely cold. "You have a little daughter at home, right? Why don't you hand over both children?"
"My daughter has been weak since she was young. Sir, please be merciful and beg us to offer you longevity tablets. We will remember your kindness for generations to come!"
The child's mother looked at the beasts in front of her with sad eyes, with boundless anger and grief in her eyes, and the father was pinned to the ground by the officers and soldiers and could not move.
When the neighbors heard the noise, they all ran out to see what was happening. Everyone looked unhappy. Everyone's child might be taken away, but no one wanted to stand up and say a word, for fear of getting into trouble.
She collapsed on the ground and screamed loudly. Gradually, her crying stopped and tears flowed, leaving only despair.
"Get out of here!"
These officials treat human life as worthless. These unknown lackeys are so arrogant, let alone what kind of person the emperor in the palace is.
Hundreds of children, why did they choose them?
Just as these people were about to take the child away, a young man walked out of the crowd. He was wearing gray clothes, which were slightly better than the linen clothes of the common people.
"Brother officer, what can we do to let this child go?"
When the child's mother heard someone pleading for mercy, a little hope was rekindled.
"Who dares to meddle in other people's business?"
The officers didn't take him seriously at all and drew their knives as they spoke. The boy didn't retreat, but the neighbors behind him were frightened and tried to persuade him not to meddle in other people's business.
"You guys are so hypocritical! You're all just hypocrites! My family has always helped you, but now my child is about to be taken away, and not only do you not care, you're actually adding fuel to the fire. What kind of people are you!"
The child's mother clutched her chest, weeping helplessly. She hated these people, who were usually so warm and compassionate, but now so cold and heartless. She hated this world of cannibalism. She hated herself even more for being so incompetent, for being unable to do anything but watch her child being taken away.
The young man leaned sideways, gripping the knife handle. He stood straight, not flinching, and continued trying to rescue the child. "I happened to see this child today. Could you please spare him?"
"Twenty taels!" said the soldier.
The child's father looked at his child and then at his wife, shaking his head helplessly. They were all from a poor family, how could they have twenty taels?
"I'll go!" said the young man.
The soldier behind him then opened his mouth loudly: "Forty taels."
At this moment, one of the silent neighbors finally dared to speak up. "Forty taels is enough for a year's salary for several of you. How much do we earn in a year? It's too embarrassing!"
The young man hesitated, but was afraid that if he continued to argue, the other party would ask for an exorbitant price, and then he would be completely broke. So he simply handed over the money. "Here's forty taels, and some small change. Brothers, take this to have some drinks and buy some food for your family. Please let this family go."
"You are lucky today, let's go!" The officer took the money, threw the child down and left.
The farce was over and the neighbors went about their own business. The parents, who had survived the disaster, hugged their child and cried.
"Thank you, little brother. I'll kneel down and kowtow to you!"
The child's father urged the child to kowtow to express his gratitude. The child was still young and was frightened by this ordeal. His eyes were full of fear, but he still imitated his parents and kowtowed to the boy.
The child's mother kept wiping away tears. They could never repay such a great favor in this lifetime. "How can we afford to pay back this money? We can't exchange it even in ten years. Little brother, thank you so much for troubling us. We will never forget your great kindness!"
The young girl forced a smile. This amount of money was not a small sum for her, but it was a good thing that could save the lives of a family of three and it was worth it.
"It doesn't matter. If this money can buy your family's safety, it will be considered a good use of its money." He then took out a few strings of money from his pocket and gave them to the couple.
"This money is convenient for you to carry. Don't return to Beijing for the next few months. The soldiers might come to arrest us. Go out and hide. Find a doctor for the child."
"Little brother, you seem to be from an extraordinary family. Do you know what's going on in the capital?"
The young man was very secretive about this and just said that something was going to happen and asked them to leave as soon as possible, without asking any other questions.
"I still don't know your benefactor's name. If we have the chance to meet again, how will I repay him in the future?"
Shao Ni looked calm, nodded, and said with a smile: "I am here to do business. If you really want to repay me, let more villagers go out and hide."
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