Chapter 147 Everyone Hates Zhao Yunjing
The imperial procession set off from Yuzhou City, traveling and observing along the way. Sometimes it took the official roads, but more often it took the narrow paths that were inaccessible to carriages and horses and could only be traversed on foot.
Of course, the decision to take the village roads and trails was not a spur-of-the-moment decision by the emperor, but rather a decision made after he talked with Zhao Yunjing for half the night before setting off, and he entrusted Zhao Yunjing with the responsibility of planning the return route.
It's important to understand that an emperor's journey isn't something that can be decided and started immediately. The advance team must scout ahead and have complete control over the number of mosquitoes within a hundred miles. If the emperor suddenly handed over the route planning authority to Zhao Yunjing, it means that all the work done by the advance team beforehand is rendered useless.
Since the emperor was to depart the next day, and Zhao Yunjing's route plan was only finalized late at night, the advance troops only had half a night to react. In addition, the emperor wanted to experience the true feelings and opinions of the people, so he specifically instructed that the people should not be driven away, that no one should be hired to kneel and thank them, and that no one should be hired to stage a scene of Hai Yan and Hai Qing. Everything had to be done in a real way.
Sometimes, even after they had already settled in a post station, Zhao Yunjing would suddenly decide to set off again, and he and Zhao Yunjing would disguise themselves as a father and son merchant selling futures contracts for the north and south, and go to stay at a farmer's house in a village. When they were in the mood, they would stay in the village for two or three days.
At this point, the emperor's advance party would usually be eager to put Zhao Yunjing in a sack, carry him outside, and hack him to death.
Is he a devil? Did he bewitch the emperor? Otherwise, why would the emperor adopt every suggestion he makes and act on it so readily?
Not only did the advance team members hate Zhao Yunjing to the bone, but the emperor's close attendants also hated him to death.
The emperor had never eaten food from outside before, for fear that someone might take advantage of the situation and poison him. Along the way, he not only ate the self-heating rice brought by Zhao Yunjing, but also set up a fire in the wild. He ate whatever Zhao Yunjing roasted for him and did not allow anyone to test for poison.
Just three days ago, the emperor ate snake meat, and then in the middle of the night he suddenly became talkative, pulling his attendants aside and babbling on for half the night. It sounded like he was giving his last words, scaring everyone half to death. The Sixteenth Prince had Zhao Yunjing detained, and he stayed by the emperor's side, afraid of missing the emperor's last words and the opportunity to ascend to the throne.
The imperial physicians were constantly hovering around Zhao Yunjing, begging him not to prepare anything strange or unusual for the emperor. But Zhao Yunjing wouldn't listen. If the village they visited was very poor, the emperor would eat dinner with the local farmers. If the village was decent, the emperor might even get to taste a few pieces of meat. But to let the emperor experience true human suffering, Zhao Yunjing made him eat coarse chaff, wild vegetables, and tree bark!
An emperor!
They eat coarse chaff, wild vegetables, and gnaw on tree bark!
If this matter were to spread to the other six kingdoms, what would become of the Great Liang Kingdom's reputation? If the other kingdoms believed that the Great Liang Kingdom's treasury was empty, that the emperor was not even fed, and that the kingdoms could not afford to support their troops, and that the six kingdoms would agree to start a war together and invade the Great Liang Kingdom at the same time, then even if the Great Liang Kingdom had a million soldiers, it would not be able to withstand the attack.
If the enemy army were to step into the territory of the Great Liang Kingdom, causing widespread suffering, displacement of the people, and bloodshed, then Zhao Yun Jing would surely be the greatest sinner in the history of the Great Liang Kingdom, and would not be spared even if he were to die ten thousand times!
Zhao Yunjing became a universally disliked figure in the procession accompanying the emperor back to the capital, except for the emperor himself. Even the fierce dogs in the procession would jump in and pounce on him when they saw him. However, he himself did not care at all, as if he was unaware of this. Every day, he would just lead the emperor along the route he had planned. When they arrived at a place, he would just talk about the local soil, climate, annual rainfall, and what crops were suitable to grow. He would also pick a promoter and supervisor from the procession to stay behind and implement his various plans one by one.
When the emperor came to Yuzhou, he was accompanied by thirty officials of all ranks. People were released along the way. When they entered the territory of the capital, only one of the thirty officials remained. That person was too sick to stay, otherwise Zhao Yunjing might have left him in some godforsaken village.
Zhou Mujiao, disguised as a man, followed behind the group and witnessed how Zhao Yunjing offended everyone in the hundreds-of-people-plus group. She could only laugh and feel proud.
As expected, he is the man I chose at first sight. He has real skills, as well as intelligence and emotional intelligence.
Half a day later, the imperial procession finally arrived one kilometer outside the city gate. Tian Wenzhang, the leader of the vanguard, rode over to communicate with the soldiers guarding the city and asked the general to open the city gate to welcome the imperial procession.
The garrison commander ran to the city wall, looked at the group of about a hundred people outside, and refused to believe it: "You say that's the imperial procession? Do you think I'm a newcomer? I counted and registered the imperial procession when it left the capital. There were a total of 358 people. 358 people went out, but only about a hundred came back. Are you saying that the imperial procession was robbed by bandits on the way and that the missing people all died?"
Tian Wenzhang was from Shandong. He was very tall and strong. When he stood in front of the garrison commander, he was like an iron tower.
He grabbed the guard and pulled off the jade pendant from his waist, waving it around: "See that clearly? This is the waist token of the Imperial Guard! I am Tian Wenzhang, the commander of the Imperial Guard. Open the city gate immediately and welcome His Majesty back to the palace!"
The garrison commander saw the words on the jade pendant and immediately shouted, "Guards! There are enemy soldiers! Seize all those people outside at once!"
Tian Wenzhang was so angry that his nose was crooked. The dozen or so guards behind him were also so angry that they immediately drew their swords, and the soldiers guarding the city also drew their swords in unison.
Just as tensions were about to rise, the sound of galloping hooves came from behind, and both sides looked over at the sound.
A young man dressed in a gray-white long robe was seen riding a horse, looking relaxed and carefree.
Recalling the humiliation he had endured along the way, Tian Wenzhang couldn't help but burst into a tirade: "Zhao Yunjing, you jinx! It's all your fault that I was forced into becoming a tenant farmer of an enemy state! We're about to enter the palace, and instead of using this time to bewitch the Emperor and brainwash him, what are you doing here? Are you here to laugh at me? Haven't you had enough of making a fool of me along the way? Huh?!"
Before Zhao Yunjing could even dismount, the city's garrison commander exclaimed in surprise, "You are Zhao Yunjing? Zhao Yunjing from Huilan Academy in Peach Blossom County, Yuzhou Prefecture? The young master Zhao Yunjing who has already won three top honors?"
Zhao Yunjing cupped his hands in greeting: "I am Zhao Yunjing, and I greet General Mu."
"You know me, kid?"
“Three days ago, I accompanied Your Majesty back to the capital. When we passed through Lianhu Village, there was an old lady named Xu who said that a cousin of hers was guarding a fortress in the capital. I observed that you, General, looked somewhat similar to the young master beside Old Lady Xu, so I guessed that you were General Mu.”
"He's just a gatekeeper; he'll never become a general."
General Mu withdrew his sword and asked why so many of his entourage had been reduced. Zhao Yunjing explained the reason, and General Mu burst into laughter, laughing until tears streamed down his face.
"For a ruler of such a nation to go to such lengths for the sake of his people's livelihood, our Emperor is indeed a wise and benevolent ruler. With such a wise ruler, the Great Liang Dynasty will surely last for thousands of generations!"
A sweet laugh rang out from inside the city gate: "What a wonderful phrase, 'May you live for ten thousand generations'! Well said! Father! Your daughter has come to fetch you!"
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