Chapter 42 042 The dikes of four prefectures breached, and the floodwaters spread for three hundred miles...
When soldiers from the three major Beijing garrisons encountered battles, they had to go to war. Wherever there were bandits that the local government could not suppress, the imperial court would also draw troops from the Beijing garrisons to suppress them. Therefore, the sons of nobles and high-ranking officials who had no talent or ability and just wanted to live off their ancestors' military pay and wait to die were most eager to join the Imperial Guard, especially the Lower Nine Guards which were a little further away from the emperor.
Of the three soldiers from the Imperial Guard who were transferred to the city patrol garrison through connections, two came from the Western Camp and one from the Eastern Camp. The Southern Camp consisted entirely of cavalry, and those without ability were prone to falling off their horses and getting injured while trying to make a name for themselves among the cavalry. Therefore, the "good-for-nothings" wouldn't bother trying to get into the Southern Camp.
The commander of the Eastern Camp was Duke Li Gong, and Xiao Rong could speak to him, but the two were of different generations. It was Li Gong's business to promote Xiao Lin, but Xiao Rong had no face to bother the old man for Luo Song's sake, especially since his youngest son had gone to offend Li Gong last year.
The Western Camp is commanded by Duke Gao Kun, the younger brother of Empress Gao. Despite being unrelated, Xiao Rong could shamelessly offer a toast at the banquet to ingratiate himself, but he wouldn't stoop to bother the powerful and influential uncle of the emperor for a mere soldier's position. Fortunately, his eldest brother, Xiao Hu, is currently a commander in the Western Camp. If he could simply speak to the commander under his command who is short of soldiers, the matter should be resolved.
Xiao Hu was happy to help, and things went smoothly. In late May, Luo Song officially became a new recruit in the Western Camp.
Luo Fu asked Xiao Yu to ask her eldest brother how much money he had spent on getting things done through connections, even if it was just the cost of a banquet. That money should be paid by the third branch of the family.
Xiao Yu went there, and was then scolded by Xiao Hu, who said that his third brother and his wife were trying to discredit him.
Xiao Yu: "...How much of my elder brother's monthly salary of a little over twenty taels, plus his monthly allowance of ten taels, does he usually give to his sister-in-law?"
Xiao Hu: "Why ask this? Besides, your sister-in-law isn't short of money. I offered her some, but she refused and told me to keep it for social occasions."
Xiao Yu: "So, all the food, drink, and entertainment for the eldest and third sons are provided by the eldest sister-in-law? The eldest sister-in-law's monthly allowance of ten taels is divided among the mother and the three children?"
Xiao Hu remained silent.
Xiao Yu then asked him how much savings he had accumulated in the nine years since he got married. Before the marriage, the three brothers each received a monthly allowance of one tael, so it was best not to mention it.
Xiao Hu scratched his head: "Well, I was only promoted to the fourth rank last year. Before that, my salary wasn't that high, and I had a lot of social obligations, so I basically spent all my money every month."
Xiao Yu said calmly, "Since my elder brother got married, I have saved up six hundred taels."
Xiao Hu stood up in surprise: "So much? Fine, I spent seven taels of silver on treating Commander Sun to dinner last time, give it to me."
Xiao Yu: "Brother, have you forgotten that you still owe me nineteen taels of silver?"
Nineteen taels of silver were not borrowed all at once; the reasons for borrowing money included helping others raise emergency funds, owing money to restaurants for entertaining guests, and buying birthday gifts for his mother, among others.
Xiao Hu clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead: "So you came here to collect a debt from me?"
Xiao Yu shook his head: "We are brothers, we should help each other. It doesn't matter if you don't repay me, but Madam doesn't want to owe you a favor, so she insists that I do it."
Xiao Hu wasn't so angry anymore, although he suspected that his third brother remembered the debt so clearly because he was hoping that his eldest brother would pay him back as soon as possible.
"Alright, you can go back now. If your sister-in-law asks, just say you gave me seven taels."
Xiao Yu didn't move, but advised his elder brother, "In less than ten years, you have spent six or seven hundred taels of silver. I believe some of that money was well spent, but some must have been used for unnecessary socializing or gambling. Your wife comes from a prestigious family and has a generous dowry. She may not need your money, but as a husband and father, you cannot push the responsibility of supporting the family entirely onto your parents and wife. That's all I have to say. I hope you will think it over carefully."
After saying that, he took his leave and turned to leave.
Xiao Hu stared blankly at his third brother's back. Six hundred taels? He really could save up six hundred taels?
In early June, Xiao Hu received a total of over thirty-two taels of silver, including last month's salary and this month's allowance. Sitting alone in his study, he counted on his fingers again and again. After a difficult deliberation, Xiao Hu put ten taels in a drawer, stuffed the rest into his purse, and took it to his wife.
Yang Yanzhen looked at the bulging purse her husband had placed on the table, filled with silver coins of various sizes, with a puzzled expression: "What's this?"
Feeling ashamed to face his wife, Xiao Hu turned to another direction and said, "I used to spend money recklessly. Starting this month, I will only keep ten taels each month, and the rest will be given to you for household expenses."
Yang Yanzhen guessed that her husband's change was related to Xiao Yu's visit a few days ago. After a moment of silence, she simply asked, "Have you thought it all through?"
Xiao Hu nodded vigorously: "Yes."
Yang Yanzhen smiled at him, called a maid to collect the silver, and instructed Xiao Hu, "Tell me if you need more, and I'll get you some."
Xiao Hu felt as if his wife's smile had struck his heart.
The two were not a good match in terms of social standing, and before their marriage, Xiao Hu worried that his wife would look down on him. However, his wife treated him very well. In the summer, she would bring him refreshing iced tea when he came home, and in the winter, she would personally feel the thickness of his clothes when he went out. When he was injured, his wife took even more meticulous care of him. Yet, Xiao Hu always felt that something was missing between them, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Now that his wife was willing to accept his money, Xiao Hu felt that the two of them had finally become closer.
If one day his wife beats or scolds him like a mother would beat or scold a father, it probably means she has completely come to regard him as family.
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Because of the heat in June, Princess Kangping didn't like to go out, so she often invited Luo Fu, Princess Shun, and Princess Fu to play cards.
As the card games progressed, and through conversations with the three noblemen, Luo Fu learned more and more about royal affairs.
For example, Prince Shun was a fat man who was neither good at literature nor martial arts. Emperor Yongcheng directly scolded him for being useless. For example, Prince Shun kept several beautiful concubines. Princess Shun, who had a gentle appearance and soft voice, was no longer jealous. However, she did not allow any of the concubines in the mansion to give birth to any children. To this day, the entire mansion only has two grandsons and one granddaughter born to Princess Shun.
For example, Prince Fu is not lustful. Apart from two concubines, he only has one wife, Princess Fu, and the couple currently have two legitimate children.
Princess Qi, who had never appeared in public, was often mentioned by Princess Kangping. Princess Kangping described Princess Qi as a shrewish and domineering woman who had caused one of the Marquis of Pingnan's concubines to miscarry before her marriage. After her marriage, when she caught the Prince of Qi in bed with her maid, Princess Qi dared to whip both of them.
Hearing this, Luo Fu was terrified and began to worry that Princess Qi might come and beat her because she was angry that she had taken her place in the princess's card game.
The Crown Princess lived deep within the palace. Princess Kangping was not close to her, but they had no conflicts either, and she rarely mentioned her.
The time that almost made Luo Fu lose her composure was when Princess Kangping, dissatisfied with her mother in the palace who kept urging her to choose another consort, mentioned one of her male favorites in a very ordinary tone!
Seeing that both Princess Shun and Princess Fu looked normal, as if they had known about this all along, Luo Fu managed to hide her surprise.
"Does the Third Madam seem unaffected by the heat?"
As Princess Kangping bid farewell and walked out in the afternoon, Princess Shun glanced at Luo Fu's fair and delicate neck a few more times, and asked with a hint of envy.
Luo Fu pretended not to notice the fine sweat on Princess Shun's forehead and explained with a smile, "I'm used to the sweltering heat of Guangling, but I find the summers in the capital quite cool. An umbrella keeps all the heat out."
Princess Shun looked knowingly at Princess Fu, who was walking to her left: "I remember my sister-in-law said something similar. Speaking of which, Jingzhou and Yangzhou are about the same in terms of temperature?"
Princess Fu said as she walked, "I was born in Jiangling. Jiangling is further south than Guangling, so it's probably hotter there."
Princess Shun joked, "So you two have both married into the capital to escape the summer heat."
Luo Fu whispered, "It's cool, but it would be nice if there was more rain."
The capital city was too dry. The main streets and the mansions of the marquises were paved with stone slabs, but Luo Fu traveled on dirt roads to visit her parents in Ganquan Town. Even without windmills, the dirt roads kicked up clouds of yellow dust, making her feel choked even while sitting in the carriage. Her father-in-law would ride a horse to visit her father three or four times a month to drink, which finally made Luo Fu believe in her father-in-law's brotherly affection for her father.
Princess Shun glanced at the sky outside the umbrella eaves and frowned: "It's really strange that there's so little rain this year."
Throughout June, not a single drop of rain fell in the capital, and in May there was only a brief rain shower, which did not even soak the fields outside the city.
The sweltering heat lasted until mid-July. Not only was Xiao Yu already feeling heavy-hearted, but even Luo Fu was worried about the people outside. If it continued to be this hot, the crops would wither and die. Without autumn grain, how would the people survive the coming year? Having grown up in the village, Luo Fu knew very well that most people only farmed for one year and didn't save much money.
The two chatted idly by each other that night, and Luo Fu asked, "Is the drought in the capital as severe as in the other eight prefectures?"
Xiao Yu lay on his back, his left arm around his wife and his right hand on his abdomen, and said to the dark tent ceiling, "Apart from Jinan and Jinan, which have also reported drought conditions, no other prefectures or counties have reported any obvious abnormalities."
Luo Fu breathed a slight sigh of relief.
In the middle of the night, a sudden clap of thunder came from outside the window. The couple sat up and soon the wind blowing in from the window became stronger, and the sound of raindrops hitting the bluestone slabs in the yard became clear.
Luo Fu accompanied Xiao Yu to close the window, leaving only one open. By the light of a single lamp, the couple leaned against each other, watching the long-overdue rain. Only when the wind blew the rain in did Xiao Yu quickly close the last window.
Luo Fu was a little wet, but she was in a good mood: "We've been waiting for this for a long time. Now all the people in the capital can get a good night's sleep."
Xiao Yu breathed a sigh of relief and carried his wife to the bed.
However, this rain either didn't come at all, or it just wouldn't stop. The torrential rain lasted for seven days, and the Luo River in the city overflowed its banks, reaching the neighborhoods on both sides, especially the lower-lying south bank. Fortunately, no disaster occurred, but it brought a lot of inconvenience to the people in that area.
On July 23, just as the rain in the capital showed signs of letting up, four urgent reports were sent to the palace in succession.
The Yellow River sections within the jurisdiction of Hua County and Puyang in the capital, and Juan County and Yun County in Qingzhou have all breached their banks, and the floods have inundated 300 li of farmland and houses, creating a critical situation!
In the Qian Yuan Hall, Emperor Yongcheng had just finished reading one urgent report when another arrived. After reading all four urgent reports, Emperor Yongcheng appeared to be sitting steadily on the dragon throne, but in reality, his vision blurred and his mind was filled with the surging waters of the Yellow River.
When Emperor Yongcheng should have immediately dispatched officials to repair the river embankment and provide disaster relief, he instead thought of Xiao Yu's examination paper.
If it weren't for Xiao Yu's dissuasion, he would have launched an attack on Yin at the beginning of the month as planned. He had only just arrived in the north when he received these four urgent reports. Should he lead his army back in disgrace, or should he disregard the displacement of the people in the four prefectures and continue to use all the military pay and provisions collected from the national treasury on the battlefield?
The officials were terrified by the disaster, but the founding emperor was covered in cold sweat.
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Author's Note: 郓 (yún, fourth tone), 鄄 (juàn, fourth tone), [doge emoji]
100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow!
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