Chapter 1258 Fetal Movement
Inside the imperial study of the palace.
Xia Fengxiang was leaning against the side of the dragon bed. He had just lectured Pei Nanzhi who had been brought here, so he interrupted today's meeting.
Although it was said to be a meeting, in fact there were only five people present: Wei Xuancheng, Su Wenqing, Yang Shanchang, Gao Rou, and Li Jiulang.
But for now, the discussion has not resumed.
Lian Xie and Ximen Xuexian sent Yuan Ruxi and Su Wan'er back to Beijing. They not only sent two people, but also three letters.
It was just that the people from the Shen Ce Mansion went there in advance to wait, and after getting the letter, they rode at full speed to deliver it to the capital.
The letter arrived this morning.
Along with it was a letter from Mobei, which I happened to receive.
But now, Xia Fengxiang looked at Lian Wei below: "How is Yuan Ruxi?"
Lian Wei replied, "It's said that his Qi points collapsed, and all his martial arts skills were wasted. In the days ahead, I'm afraid I'll have to take medicine every day to maintain my health. I'm afraid my left hand won't be able to lift heavy objects. As for his coma, the old Taoist priests said that if I inject Qi into my body every day, I'll wake up within half a month."
Xia Fengxiang looked at Feng Chun beside him and said, "Ask the Shangyi Bureau to pick some tonics from the palace clinic's pharmacy."
After saying that, Xia Fengxiang added, "Let Mao Mao select and send it. All the precious medicines needed from now on can be taken from the pharmacy. There's no need to publicize it, and the people in the palace should keep their mouths shut. You personally deliver my oral instructions to Mu Xu. Yuan Ruxi will take the position of Imperial Court Doctor and continue to teach at the Imperial College. Everything will remain the same as before."
Feng Chun immediately saluted, then turned around and walked away in small steps.
Su Wenqing glanced at Feng Chun. He knew clearly what Yuan Ruxi had done and for whom he became like this.
It’s just that I haven’t told others about it yet.
Su Wenqing kept this kindness in his heart.
Now looking at Lian Wei and hearing that Yuan Ruxi was not in danger of his life, he felt much more relieved.
If he really lost his life for his own girl.
With his old face, he will never be able to face Shuiyun for the rest of his life.
Xia Fengxiang said, "If the old master wants to leave the palace, he can go now. After all, Wan'er is back, and you must be anxious to visit Yuan Ruxi."
Upon hearing this, Su Wenqing stood up immediately and said, "Your Majesty, state affairs are more important. I am relieved to know that Mr. Yuan is safe. I can go after we finish discussing things here. As for Wan'er, it doesn't matter if I see her sooner or later when she returns."
Xia Fengxiang waved his hand and Lian Wei stood up and left.
Xia Fengxiang did not hesitate: "I have a letter for you to read. Zhu Huang and Wen Daoji are about to take action. It is almost time to recover the Shu territory."
As he spoke, Xia Fengxiang stood up and said, "Among the five great generals in Shu, only one with the surname Dian is Dian Junming. The remnants of Raojiang said that a general with the surname Dian contacted them."
Gao Rou stood up and said, "Your Majesty, if Dian Junming is Lushan, I think it is not important. What is important is the people of Shu."
Wei Xuancheng said, "Zhu Huang and Wen Daoji naturally knew their limits. After breaking through Jiange, they headed south to Yizhou City. They naturally wouldn't do anything to the people along the way. But the problem lies with Dian Junming."
At this point, Wei Xuancheng frowned. "I have some understanding of this man. He rose through the ranks of the military. Although he didn't fight his way out like Zhao Wuxiu, he gained support from his father-in-law's family and joined the King of Shu. However, he has a yin-yang swallowing beast appearance, a hunched back, and when he stands, his spine is bent like a fully drawn crossbow. He often hides three-inch iron caltrops in his sleeves. In the past few months, I have not been interested in the news sent from Shu, but among all the news from Shu that Commander Li gave me, there is a saying..."
"Dian Junming's hunched back is actually the result of fighting on the battlefield. The scars on his back are arranged like stars, which is similar to the Purple Palace. I believe that if he is An Lushan, he must have rebellious intentions, even wanting to establish himself! Moreover, he is a tyrant. By opening the country's borders to allow people from the Western Regions to enter, I'm afraid he is already preparing to plunder the people of Shu and escape. Therefore, we must inform General Zhu Huang and Wen Daoji in advance."
Su Wenqing said, "Yan Yan is still good, but the problem is that Dian Junming had problems, but Yan Yan did nothing. I'm afraid Yan Yan was kept in the dark and was sidelined, and his troops were swallowed up."
Gao Rou spoke up, "Where's Wang Mang? The five great Shu generals are Yan Yan, Wang Mang, Dian Junming, Shi Jingtang, and Yao Zhien. Shi Jingtang is guarding Jiange. If Zhu Huang and his men attack, the city will surely be broken. Yao Zhien is too young, and the only one who can truly compete with Dian Junming is Wang Mang."
Yang Shanchang looked at Gao Rou and said, "Wang Mang, is there no problem?"
Gao Rou frowned.
Xia Fengxiang said, "It never matters who Lushan is, how he behaves, or whether he spreads rumors about the Yin-Yang swallowing of the Prime Minister. It also doesn't matter which of the five of them has problems or not. Let them make trouble! I have handed over Shu to Xia Tingyu, Fang Wenhe, Zhu Huang, and Wen Daoji. They promised me to send the King of Shu to the capital before the Dragon Boat Festival. I trust them.
What I care about is the reconstruction of Shu and how to quickly restore the people's livelihood."
As he spoke, Xia Fengxiang picked up a letter and walked out of the imperial study. Seeing this, everyone stood up and dared not sit on the stools.
Xia Fengxiang asked, "There was a person named Li Ziyu, do you remember him?"
Hearing this, everyone remembered the scholar who stood up straight and had a discussion with Yang Shanchang at the Imperial College Literary Meeting.
Yang Shanchang said, "He is a very good student."
But after saying this, Yang Shanchang continued: "I heard that he went to Shu to serve as an official and suffered a lot."
Xia Fengxiang turned around and glanced at Yang Shanchang, then said, "I summoned him secretly at that time."
Everyone was in awe when they heard this.
Xia Fengxiang then asked, "I asked him if he wanted to go to Shu and serve the people. He said yes. I then asked him if he might die. He told me that if he died, he asked me to be better to the people. I asked him to go and see what Shu is really like, and then write to me and tell me."
As he spoke, Xia Fengxiang picked up the letter in his hand and said, "This is the fourth one. Some of you have been to Shu, but I haven't. I have only heard of it in poems and oral stories. It is a place where wealthy merchants gather, trade routes are smooth, and the people have enough food and clothing. I read Li Ziyu's letter. He said that there are many rich people in Shu. In big cities or places with abundant farming, you can always see large gardens that are as luxurious as the ones in the capital. But there are even more poor people."
"In Li Ziyu's words, the county he governed was half rich and half poor. The wealthy had minced meat in their swill buckets, while the poor had their intestines weighed down by dust and dirt, and before dying, they excreted bluish-white feces. In other words, the dirt in the people's stomachs was still three times more than the grain they ate on earth."
"Furthermore, he said he saw with his own eyes the parents of a child stuffing their mouth with snow, and heard the parents tell the child, 'Eat your fill! Your new parents have rice.' And the broker's account book said that child bones were worth three taels of silver, and pregnant women half that."
"There's also the so-called 'Locust God'. The government forcibly collects a bushel of grain as an offering to the Locust God, and he witnesses starving people lying on the ridges of the fields. Furthermore, there are the so-called ghost tenants. These are wealthy people who, regardless of years of disaster or famine, can't pay their rent. They then sign a debt in the underworld. If you can't pay, your son will pay, your entire family will pay, even after you die. And then there's the lamp oil tax. For the amusement of the rich, they collect the milk of old women from the common people to refine oil. They make what they call a hundred bright lamps, just so they can see the floating, fetal-shaped lamp flowers on the lamps."
Xia Fengxiang turned around and looked at Yang Shanchang and the others. "Some people in the court often submit memorials to me, advising me that Great Xia is entering a prosperous era and that we should change the country's name to record my great achievements in history books. You say I refuse and continue to advise me. A prosperous era? Yan, the Three Liaos, and Shu are all like this. A prosperous era?"
Everyone immediately bowed and said in unison: "We acknowledge our guilt."
"Those people in Shu were afraid I would kill people, so they began to collude with each other and rebel against Daxia and my thirteenth uncle. If I kill them all, their wish will be fulfilled. But my thirteenth uncle was given Shu by the late emperor, and he also regarded Shu as his private property. Now that Shu has become like this, he must be punished. But my father was also at fault, and the son must pay for the father's debt. Although I am a woman, as I sit in this position, I will apologize to the people of Shu on my father's behalf."
"The edict of apology has been written, but words alone are useless. It should be sent to Shu, along with the edicts from me and the Empress. Lord Wei, please personally investigate each case. All the money, except for the money that should be deposited in the various treasuries in Shu, will be distributed to the people. The land will also be distributed to the people. The Chamber of Commerce involved in the smuggling of armor will be dealt with according to Daxia law. However, those involved in the purchase of grain and fodder, who dumped those fifteen ships of food, will be executed!"
"The Xia family is responsible for clearing up the suffering they inflicted. You have read more books than I do, and you understand better than I do that the human heart is like water, and the people's unrest is like smoke. Bring Li Ziyu with you to investigate. You have lost your life three times in order to tell me the true nature of Shu. Fortunately, Xia Tingyu returned to protect him, otherwise he would have died by now."
Xia Fengxiang looked at Wei Xuancheng.
Wei Xuancheng immediately bowed and said, "I accept your order."
Xia Fengxiang was about to speak when his expression suddenly froze. He couldn't help but cover his stomach with his hands, then looked at his stomach in surprise.
because
I felt something move.
Although it is very light.
Everyone was puzzled when they saw that the emperor was acting strangely.
But Xia Fengxiang turned around and touched his belly in some surprise. It was the first time he had such a feeling.
But Xia Fengxiang immediately said, "Don't worry about Dian Junming. Xia Tingyu knows what to do. If she can't protect the people, Wen Daoji also knows what to do. However, Su Wenqing."
Su Wenqing immediately bowed and said, "I am your honor."
Xia Fengxiang said, "In the letter to Zhu Huang and Wen Daoji, add this sentence: What I want is for Shu and its people to be safe and sound. The corruption of officials and noble families there is dispensable."
Su Wenqing bowed immediately.
Xia Fengxiang was stunned and looked down at his stomach again, because...
Then he moved very lightly.
Xia Fengxiang looked at his belly, and his surprise turned into joy because he thought of a possibility.
Involuntarily, a look of joy appeared on his face.
Su Wenqing and the others looked at the change in His Majesty's expression, and after looking at each other, they were all stunned.
What happened is this.
(End of this chapter)
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