Chapter 472: Doctor Hu is coming with you
"…As the Book of Documents says: 'The people are the foundation of the state; if the foundation is solid, the state will be at peace.' This is true, Your Highnesses, please read this."
Zhou Xiaoyao's voice was clear and steady, coming through the door.
He was obviously not reading from a script, but guiding thinking.
"The tyrant of the past dug the Grand Canal, connecting the north and the south. His contribution will last for thousands of years, and his ambition was undoubtedly great. Yet, why did he perish in the second generation, and why did the whole world rebel?"
He paused, "It's not that his ambitions are small, but that his actions are fundamentally wrong. He conscripted millions of laborers, disregarding the farming season, leaving countless people dead from exhaustion in the ditches. He built dragon boats and towering ships for his tour of the south of the Yangtze River, exhausting the people's wealth..."
"Your Highnesses, please take a moment to reflect," Zhou Xiaoyao said, his tone becoming more calm, with a sense of groundedness. "Outside the capital, the spring farming season is busy. Farmers plow the fields and sow seeds, sweating beneath the rice, all they hope for is a granary of millet in the autumn to feed their families. If the government imposes forced labor at this time, delaying the farming season, they are depriving them of their food and severing their livelihoods. If this happens to one family, what about ten, a hundred, or even a thousand others? How can the people be at peace? How can the country be stable?"
He brought the grand historical narrative down to the most minute agricultural matters that were most relevant to the lives of the people, allowing the noble imperial grandchildren to feel the heavy weight of the word "people-centered".
His words were clear and powerful, and every word struck the heart of the emperor outside the door.
The emperor's originally furrowed brows gradually relaxed. He did not interrupt his lecture, but said softly, "Let's go."
After returning, the emperor immediately ordered someone to draft an edict to promote Zhou Xiaoyao to the position of chief priest of Longtao Hall, while he also concurrently held his previous position as censor.
Lu Qiniang didn't know this, she was being scolded.
"Lu Qin's mother, is it because you didn't bring an umbrella on a rainy day that water has entered your brain?" Doctor Hu paced back and forth in anger.
When he heard that Lu Qiniang was going to Qiongzhou, he started cursing.
"Old Hu, have a drink of water." Lu Qiniang said with a smile.
Xiao Yan was able to save her life, and she felt that all the dark clouds in the sky had dispersed.
She was extremely reluctant to part with her daughters, but this was the best outcome she could hope for.
"I won't drink." Doctor Hu said unhappily, "Do you know Qiongzhou—"
"I know. It's not good anywhere, but Xiao Yan has to go, so I'll go too. Old Hu, to be honest, the sisters will stay in the capital and won't have any relatives, so they're counting on you to help take care of them..."
"How do you know that I have to stay in the capital?" Doctor Hu said unhappily.
"Why, the capital city can't accommodate you anymore?" Lu Qiniang joked with him, using the same tone as always, "Where are you planning to go?"
"Isn't it you who harmed me?"
"It's my fault?" Lu Qiniang glared at him. "How could I be so powerful?"
Divine Doctor Hu didn't answer immediately, but looked at her and said, "Have you really decided to go to Qiongzhou? Are you not going to change your mind?"
"I've made up my mind. I won't change it. If I don't go, I'll either be a widow or remarry, and I don't want either."
Her man is so good, she would follow him to the ends of the earth.
Xiao Yan is so pitiful.
It's like being soaked in bitter water.
"Then I'll go too." said Doctor Hu.
Lu Qiniang was caught off guard, her eyes widening, "Are you crazy?! Are you attracted to Xiao Yan?"
Doctor Hu: “…”
"That's my man, I'm going with him. Why are you joining in the fun?"
"You've killed me," Doctor Hu accused her angrily. "Why are you looking at me? If it weren't for you, would I have met the Emperor? The Emperor's body is so fragile, it can't be helped at any time. What if he wants me to be buried alive with him?"
"What?" Lu Qiniang was shocked. "What do you mean by 'it's not possible'? Old Hu, that's not what you said before. You said if I take good care of it, I'll be fine in three to five years."
"Two years have passed since I treated the Emperor," said Doctor Hu. "Calculate the time. Even in the most optimistic scenario, how much longer can I expect?"
He also said that if the emperor wanted to live a few more years, he should put down his burdens as soon as possible.
But the emperor couldn't let go of anything.
The prince is a fool, unable to shoulder important responsibilities, and his mind is not on the real work.
Lu Qiniang fell silent.
Yes, time flies so fast, she even gave birth to a child.
She also realized that she might never see the emperor again.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but lower her head and wipe away her tears.
To others, he was the emperor; to her, he was an elder who cared for her very much.
It’s a pity that, like many people, I can never repay the care of my loving elders.
How she wished the emperor could live a long life.
"The emperor is indeed kind, but when he is gone in the future, someone might take revenge on me for meddling in other people's business and blocking their way." Doctor Hu sighed.
What he said was true.
If Xiao Yan were here, he wouldn't be so worried. After all, he has connections in the court who can help him out if anything happens.
Now--
If something really happens, who will help him?
No one's.
When Lu Qiniang heard this, she felt sad.
She actually hoped that Doctor Hu could stay in the capital forever, rush to the emperor when he needed him, and let the emperor live a few more years as much as possible.
But Doctor Hu is right.
The prince has a moody temper and might even vent his anger on the doctor who treats the emperor.
People should always put self-preservation first.
"Old Hu," Lu Qiniang said in a muffled voice, "I'm really sorry for you in this matter."
"Why are you saying that? It's not like I haven't benefited from it. The Emperor has given me quite a bit of rewards."
"If you don't want to stay in the capital, you can go somewhere else. There's no need to go with us to a place like Qiongzhou." Lu Qiniang said, "I know you're tough on the outside but soft on the inside. You scold me for being a burden, but in your heart you're worried about Xiao Yan and me being there, afraid we might get hurt or sick and have no one around us. Old Hu, I know everything - all these years, we haven't been in vain."
But everyone has his own life to live.
She couldn't involve Doctor Hu in her own karma.
Doctor Hu said, "Don't be so self-indulgent. I'm just worried about my brother Xiao Yan. What does this have to do with you? Here's my plan. The three of us will go with you to see what's going on there. If that place doesn't work out, we'll consider settling somewhere else. In short, it won't hurt to stay away from the capital."
"Old Hu——"
"Okay, it has nothing to do with you." Doctor Hu said, "You prepare yours, and I'll prepare mine."
After saying that, he waved his hand and left, not giving Lu Qiniang a chance to speak again.
"What should we do?" Lu Qiniang said, "We can't let him go. We can't let him down."
"It's okay, let Hu Rui go, I can help look after him." San Ya said.
She is not afraid of difficulties and obstacles, but she is afraid that she will not have enough "soldiers" under her command.
How can you be a "general" if you are alone?
If you can pull one, it counts.
Lu Qiniang: “…”
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