Chapter 3251 Great Peace in Shu
“Hmm!”
Nan Yan suddenly woke up from her sleep and saw a dark figure beside the bed. She was so scared that she almost screamed, but the dark figure immediately said, "Don't yell, it's me."
As he spoke, he raised a candlestick next to him.
The flickering candlelight reflected on Zhu Feng's thin, well-defined face. Nan Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help but complain, "Your Majesty, why didn't you even say hello when you came? You almost scared me to death."
Zhu Feng laughed.
Nan Yan raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead and glanced out the window again. It was just past the hour of Yin and it was pitch black outside. Nan Yan watched Zhu Feng undressing and couldn't help but ask, "Didn't the Emperor say he wouldn't come tonight?"
Zhu Feng turned around and glared at her: "Is it not possible for me to come over if I want to?"
“…”
"Then I'll leave?"
As he said this, he put on his clothes in a pretentious manner and was about to go out. Nan Yan smiled and hurriedly pulled him back, saying, "Okay, okay, I was wrong. Your Majesty, please don't argue with me when I was almost scared to death just now."
Zhu Feng then snorted softly, threw his clothes aside, and sat down on the head of the bed.
Nan Yan took the opportunity to snuggle into his arms.
Although Zhu Feng came to sleep, he was obviously still quite awake and had no intention of falling asleep immediately. He gently stroked Nan Yan's back with one hand and asked, "What nightmare did you just have?"
Nan Yan frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "I don't remember it either, but I just think it was quite scary."
Zhu Feng smiled and reached out to ruffle her hair.
"Touch the fur, it won't scare you."
Nan Yan also laughed at him and raised her head and said, "Has the emperor finished reading the memorial?"
"Not yet."
"oh?"
Nan Yan was a little surprised. You know, even when he was in the capital, as long as there were memorials piled up in the imperial study, even if it was just a new one, he would have to finish dealing with it before he could rest. When there were a lot of things to do at the beginning or end of the year, it was common for him to stay in the imperial study for several days and nights.
This was the first time he came back to rest before finishing dealing with the memorials.
However, when Nan Yan looked up at him again, she found that there seemed to be a hint of joy in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows, as if he had seen something worth being happy about.
So he smiled and said, "The Emperor must be happy about something."
Zhu Feng immediately frowned: "What's so happy about this?"
"Of course there is!"
Nan Yan became serious as she spoke, getting up from the bed and touching his chest: "Is there something good hidden there? Let me see."
Zhu Feng was amused by her behavior. He grabbed the pair of small hands that were groping at his chest and stopped them from moving. He pressed her back into his arms and said, "Alright, alright, don't mess around so late at night. I just saw the memorial that Liu Yueze sent over."
"Liu Yueze?"
I haven't heard this name for a long time.
Ever since Princess Xinping's accident, he had been assigned to Shu. It had been several years now, and Nan Yan had almost forgotten about him. Suddenly, when she heard Zhu Feng mention him, she asked, "What did he say in his memorial?"
"I didn't say much, just reported the recent situation in Shu."
"It seems that the situation is very good. Otherwise, the emperor would not be so relieved and come back to rest instead of staying up late."
Zhu Feng laughed and said, "You know it again!"
As he spoke, his face was indeed filled with joy. He said, "I allowed him to go to Shu with great freedom and didn't assign him any supervisory officials. I just wanted to see what achievements he could make in Shu. Now it seems that I was not wrong."
"Today, the population of Shu has increased by nearly 30% compared to previous years, and trade is booming. In the past few years alone, the annual tax paid to the imperial court has doubled."
"And there's Shu brocade. Its production has increased significantly over the past two years. In the Central Plains, a piece of Shu brocade is worth twenty taels of silver. Gu Yiyou and Tong Sinian reported that Shu brocade is very popular in the countries of the Western Regions, where it can fetch fifty taels of silver. However, they also said that merchants in the Western Regions buy Shu brocade and then sell it to countries further west, where it's said to fetch the same price as gold."
Nan Yan opened her eyes wide: "So powerful?"
Zhu Feng's eyes sparkled in the dim light as he said, "So, I plan to set up a Shu Brocade Bureau in Shu and have them produce more Shu Brocade."
"You know, Shu is rich and has been an important source of tax revenue for the imperial court throughout the dynasties. There's a saying since ancient times that goes, 'Promote one, benefit two.' But in recent years, with the events in Nanjing, the imperial court hasn't collected much tax and has spent a lot instead. If it weren't for the support from Shu, we would have been nearly broke."
After hearing this, Nan Yan nodded slightly: "It seems that Liu Yueze is indeed talented."
"That's not all."
Zhu Feng said, "Nowadays, trade in Shu is booming, and merchants from all over the country are heading there. He started holding a market in Chengdu every month last year, and it has become a great spectacle."
"Opening the market? What market?"
Zhu Feng said, "It's not fixed, but from the memorial he submitted, the Brocade Market just opened in April, the Fan Market will be in May, the Incense Market will be in June, and then there will be the Qibao Market and the Osmanthus Market."
Nan Yan opened her eyes wide when she heard this and couldn't help but say, "It sounds interesting. I want to go and see it too."
Zhu Feng smiled and said, "Not only you, I also want to go and see it."
“…”
"After we finish our work here, let's find a chance to go to Shu for a stroll."
Nan Yan smiled and said, "Okay!"
Zhu Feng smiled, gently stroking her smooth back, and said, "As the saying goes, Shu is in chaos before the rest of the world, and Shu is not yet governed when the rest of the world is well governed. Once Shu is well governed, it will give me confidence."
Nan Yan said, "Now, the imperial court has established diplomatic relations with Japan, and the maritime threat has been resolved. I heard that even many envoys have been sent from the South and West Seas. The emperor is not only confident, but he must be breathing a sigh of relief."
Zhu Feng smiled and shook his head: "It's still early."
"Is it still early?"
"As long as there is unrest and unresolved issues in the world, I will not be able to breathe a sigh of relief."
Nan Yan frowned when she heard this, then thought for a moment and said, "But no matter what, as long as the Eastern Chaga tribe issue is resolved this time, the Emperor will be able to take a break."
Upon hearing this, a cold light flashed in Zhu Feng's eyes.
He said with a half-smile, "Of course we need to take a break, but the situation with the Eastern Chahe tribe may not be so easy to resolve. Who knows who's behind them?"
Nan Yan said, "Let's release the prisoner this time. No matter what, we can dig up some clues."
Zhu Feng said, "I'm just afraid of digging out a big one."
At this point, he sneered again: "Of course, it would be good to dig out a big one."
Nan Yan looked at him. He had just been talking about the affairs of Shu, and his eyes and eyebrows were full of joy, but at this moment, a murderous aura emanated from him.
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