Chapter 93 Wu Qining picked up the memorial and read ten lines at a glance. His pupils suddenly trembled.
Wu Qining picked up the memorial and read ten lines at a glance, his pupils suddenly dizzying.
"Since the disaster in winter, Yizhou has seen a large-scale uprising among the people, and most of the city has fallen into the hands of the rebels."
She looked at Song Shiwei with some disbelief as he lowered his eyes.
"Why is there no news in the court these days? Everyone is discussing my marriage."
After hearing this, Wu Qining laughed sarcastically: "Yes, how could they care about the people? But I thought that even if they enriched themselves, there would be a limit. I didn't expect that they would leave them no chance to survive."
She was shaking and quivering with rage.
Song Shiwei looked at her indignant expression and chuckled.
"Your Majesty, you just said that. Aren't you afraid that I will be involved?"
"Master, you didn't. I have always known this. You are different from them." Even though they are all traitors with evil intentions and are rebellious and rebellious, she is different from them.
In the past few years when natural disasters were rampant, every disaster relief went through her hands and was distributed everywhere. Although less than one tenth of it reached the victims, at least she did it.
Without her, those people from the aristocratic families would not even be willing to go through with the formalities.
For countless days and nights, she coughed lightly with a pale face, and the desk was brightly lit by candlelight, filled with decrees for the next disaster relief.
Wu Qining knew all of this. She had a hidden chess piece in the Taifu Mansion, and although she was not valued, it was still okay for her to spread the news.
As an emperor, she wanted to tear such a traitorous minister into pieces to relieve her hatred. But as a commoner of the dynasty, she was sincerely grateful that when the emperor was in decline and the aristocratic families were rampant, there was such a minister who was tough and cold, but had a soft touch towards the people, even if this softness was never towards her.
That's why she chose to be tied to her.
If she won, she would personally give her a cup of poisoned wine and give her a dignified death. If she lost, she could rest assured that the throne of her Wu family was taken away by such a person, an ambitious but concerned minister who kept the blood of her Wu family, rather than those useless aristocratic families who only knew how to plunder the people.
Song Shiwei leaned on the couch, Wu Qining sat beside her, and this time, she moved a little closer to her.
"Of course they suppressed it. They withheld the relief grain sent by the court, but they didn't expect that the people who had always been obedient under their control would be so stubborn. They rushed into their mansions with hoes and sickles and slaughtered several families in a row."
"When I first learned about it, I didn't take it seriously and sent soldiers to suppress it. But I didn't expect that it has not been resolved until now. It has become more and more serious and the fire has directly burned half of the state. If I didn't have special information channels, I'm afraid I would have been kept in the dark for a while."
"They can no longer hide it. We will formally report it to the imperial court soon and request the dispatch of troops to suppress it."
Wu Qining opened her mouth, her eyes flashing with reluctance. She knew she couldn't make the decision, so she looked at Song Shiwei and whispered:
"If they were not forced to live, they would not rebel. Why not recruit them? This way, the court will suffer less losses."
"Recruit them? Your Majesty is too naive. Since you have already sent troops to suppress them, why would they do it again? Wouldn't it be better to get rid of it once and for all? Besides, what would happen even if they were recruited? Will their lives change at all? They may rebel again next winter. It is better to give them a quick death." Cruel words came out of Song Shiwei's mouth, shattering the hope in Wu Qining's eyes.
"I have donated food in my personal name, but it is just a drop in the bucket. The number of people affected by the disaster is too large." After saying this lightly, Song Shiwei changed the subject.
"How much do you know about the land system in the world, Your Majesty?"
Wu Qining paused when he heard this, not knowing what she meant, and then he told her what was recorded in history books with reservations.
"Since our ancestors founded the country, they have improved the land system. The amount of grain that should be paid is determined by the number of acres of land held and the number of people in the holder's family. Generally, each adult male should pay two shi of chestnuts per year."
"Then your majesty, do you know how much tax the noble families have collected secretly in recent years? Agricultural tax, nursing tax, cattle plowing tax, and other taxes, all added together, there is very little grain left in their families. I am only referring to the land tax."
When they couldn't make a living, they would sell their children or themselves. The noble families would buy them back at very low prices and hide them in their houses to serve as dead servants or do dirty work. The court had certain limits on the number of servants and soldiers in each household, so these people existed as hidden households.
The last time she searched the capital, she found quite a few hidden households, more than just one or two.
As time went by, it became clear that they were gathering troops to rebel.
Wu Qining was speechless. She lowered her head timidly and said softly:
"I, I have not left the palace since I ascended the throne. I don't know much about these."
Song Shiwei glanced at her and left the hall without saying anything.
The memorial seemed to have been forgotten by her and fell into Wu Qining's hands.
Outside the palace, the young man in brocade clothes knelt on the ground tremblingly, wiping his tears. He didn't dare to get up without Song Shiwei's permission.
Song Shiwei got on the sedan chair and seemed to have just remembered him. A cold voice came from the curtains: "Get out of the palace and don't bother me."
"Yes." He immediately got up from the ground, bowed respectfully in the direction of the sedan chair, and retreated with a sense of relief.
"Pass on my order. I am not satisfied with the men who have been sent to the palace. Send them out immediately and select new ones. And spread the news about that young man who made things difficult for me."
"Yes." Song Lin said.
The heavy stone door was half-open, and the ferocious animal head carved on it was dim in the darkness, as if it would pounce at any time with bared fangs and claws.
Wu Qining stood with his hands folded, his eyelids slightly drooping, exuding an aura of majesty without even being angry.
There were dozens of people below him, dressed in inconspicuous black clothes, kneeling on one knee, with an unconcealable murderous and cold aura surrounding them.
"What's the situation in Yizhou?" Wu Qining glanced at the news coming from various prefectures and asked softly.
The leading woman handed over the newly delivered letter paper and said respectfully, "Since Xuan Shi sneaked into the disaster area in winter and instigated the uprising, he has raided several branches of the family. After careful inspection according to the household registration, there are many problems. I am afraid that there are many more troops in the capital."
"The people from the aristocratic families have reported it, and we'll send troops to suppress it immediately. If Xuan Shi makes more trouble, it would be best to raid all the aristocratic families over there." Wu Qining raised his eyes slightly, his sharp eyes were like a blade drawn from its sheath, brutal and bloody.
"With just a few hoes and sickles, they chopped up all the people in the county government. They were never lowly people." Wu Qining said to herself with emotion. Even she didn't know at the beginning that it would cause such a big commotion.
"The bigger the commotion, the more afraid they will be, and the greater the chances of them being recruited, so the victims will have a chance to survive."
"Maybe I can give Xuan Shidangdang a small official position when the time comes." Wu Qining joked in a good mood.
Then, she looked at Xuan Jian who was kneeling beside her and said softly, "Does the Grand Master still trust you and ask you for information about me these days?"
Xuan Jian paused, as if thinking.
"The Grand Master treats his subordinates no differently, but he seems to have paid less attention to Your Majesty in recent days."
Wu Qining smiled sarcastically. That treacherous minister might have really thought that he had handed everything over to her and that he could not escape from her control, so he relaxed his supervision over her a little.
A dog that bites never barks.
She had put in a lot of effort to place Xuanjian in the Taifu Mansion, and she indeed gained the trust of the treacherous official as she wished.
But after a few days, she sent Xuanjian back.
At first, she thought that Song Shiwei had discovered her plan and sent the person back to punish her.
But she really wanted Xuanjian to record her every word and action seriously.
Forget it, there are other chess pieces in the Taifu Mansion. If Xuanjian is placed next to her, she will have a little more freedom.
After dressing up, the cowardly little emperor turned into a suave lady from a noble family, charming and radiant.
She waved her fan and skillfully emerged from the secret passage.
Following behind her were four guards in brocade clothes. She swaggered down the street and headed towards Zuixianlou, which is now famous in the capital.
Zuixianlou has only been open for a few years, but its unique color, aroma and taste have won it a great favor among the people of Beijing. Aristocrats have even praised its food, saying it is as good as any food cooked by the royal family.
People from all walks of life also gathered here, and it was the easiest place to get information. Wu Qining looked around, buying a few small things from time to time, and suddenly saw something, and his face froze.
Song Shiwei was dressed in casual clothes, walking slowly on the street, heading towards Zuixianlou. The little girl in the mansion wanted to eat lotus cake, and she also happened to have something she wanted to verify at Zuixianlou.
Her people discovered some interesting things in Yizhou. Zuixianlou had transported supplies to the disaster area many times in the name of individuals. This could only be attributed to the kindness of the host.
The fact that the rebel leader in Yizhou seemed to have some connection with Zuixianlou could be a big deal or a small one.
Is someone taking advantage of the situation to incite the victims to seek personal gain? Or...
Song Shiwei lowered her eyes in deep thought, and people on the street passed by her. Suddenly, she frowned and looked back as if sensing something. A woman in red was waving a folding fan, followed by several vigilant guards, and she was swaggering on the street.
Although Wu Qining's appearance was completely different now, even she herself could not recognize him. But the treacherous minister was quite evil, so she had to avoid him for safety reasons.
Before Wu Qining, who was passing by, could breathe a sigh of relief, she saw a pale hand on her shoulder, and her nose was instantly filled with a strong scent of medicine.
"My dear lady, I see that you look familiar to me. Would you please turn around and take a look at me?" The gentle voice had just finished.
The woman in red turned her head suddenly, and with a swish, she unfolded the plain white folding fan in her hand, just enough to cover half of her face. She put one hand around Song Shiwei's waist and moved closer to her. Her upturned phoenix eyes were filled with indescribable charming feelings. She blew into Song Shiwei's ear frivolously and said teasingly:
"Sister, your way of chatting is really not commendable. It should be like this."
"How insolent." Song Shiwei spat out these two words coldly with his pale lips. He clenched his hands on his waist, and with a tearing sound, he pulled out half of the sword. He stared at her warningly with his narrow eyes.
Behind them, there was the sound of swords being drawn in unison. The woman in red hid behind the guards with a look of grievance, and she had put down the folding fan that was covering her eyes at some point.
It was a face she had never seen before.
Song Shiwei glanced at Wu Qining, then immediately turned around and ordered him to return home.
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