Chapter 241 The King of a Lost Country (End)
Nan Liujing sat on the boat, watching the lotus lanterns in the lake go out one by one, and spoke softly to Yao Rong.
He didn't know what to talk about, he just wanted to hear Yao Rong's voice more.
Yao Rong simply hummed a song for him.
[The wanderer looks north, his hometown is far away. The generals look south, their hometown is far away...]
The tune is sad, but it will not make people depressed.
This is the wanderer song of the north.
After humming the song, Guisheng's voice just happened to come from the lake: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, where are you?"
This was something Nan Liujing and Guisheng had agreed on long ago. After all, his identity was different from before. When the lotus lanterns went out, he should return to the bedroom to rest.
"I'm here." Nan Liujing responded, picked up the oar, and rowed towards the lakeshore.
As soon as he got ashore, Guisheng rushed over immediately, his voice full of worry: "Your Majesty, why are you still in the lake at this late hour?"
"I'm in the mood." Nan Liujing smiled and pulled Guisheng, "You don't like staying by the lake, let's go a little further away and talk."
After falling into the lake once, Guisheng was indeed a little afraid of water. He said with a bitter face: "Even if you want to go to the lake for fun, you should let the imperial guards guard the shore."
Nan Liujing said: "This time is different."
Guisheng didn't ask what was different this time. After all, nothing happened: "Your Majesty, don't do this next time. If the people of Yu Shitai find out, they will definitely write a few memorials to you."
Thinking of Yu Shitai's gang, Nan Liujing rubbed his eyebrows helplessly, He sighed, "I know."
Because it was already three o'clock in the morning when he returned to his bedroom yesterday, and it was almost four o'clock when he lay down on the bed after washing, so Nan Liujing woke up late the next day as expected.
He first called the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to make a plaque with the words "Nanfang Book House" as soon as possible, and hang it in the Zhaixing Palace after it was completed.
Afterwards, Nan Liujing processed the memorials sent by the inner cabinet as quickly as possible and said to Guisheng, "Pack up, I'm leaving the palace."
Guisheng handed the approved memorials to the eunuch next to him and asked the eunuch to send it back to the inner cabinet: "Where are you going, Your Majesty?"
"I'm going to visit my uncle at the Dingguo Mansion." Just as Nan Liujing was about to leave, he seemed to have thought of something and tapped his palms with his folding fan, "Oh, remember to bring the director of the Imperial Hospital with you."
When Nan Liujing arrived at the Dingguo Mansion, he happened to meet the Dingguo Mansion's steward who was about to leave.
Seeing Nan Liujing coming, the steward hurriedly saluted.
Nan Liujing asked him where he was going, and the steward explained the matter in a few words.
"Your Majesty, today after lunch, our Duke was walking in the courtyard to digest his food when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left leg. I was just about to take the Duke's token to the palace to ask for the imperial physician."
Guisheng smiled and said, "What a coincidence, Your Majesty just happened to bring the imperial physician to visit the Duke."
Nan Liujing thought to himself, isn't it a coincidence? He came here specifically to visit his uncle.
Yao Shengan had lost all feeling in his broken leg, and it was actually a good thing that he could feel the pain again. So when Nan Liujing saw Yao Shengan, he was in so much pain that cold sweat broke out on his forehead, but he still had a smile on his face.
After checking Yao Shengan's pulse, the chief physician of the Imperial Hospital concluded that Yao Shengan's leg had indeed regained sensation. Although the atrophy of the leg muscles was too severe, no matter how well he recovered, it would be impossible for him to return to normal. However, as long as he persisted in conditioning, he might be able to walk without crutches in the future. What
surprised the imperial physician more than the recovery of his legs was the recovery of Yao Shengan's body.
The last time the imperial physician checked Yao Shengan's pulse, Yao Shengan's physical foundation was still in a state of severe loss. This loss would greatly cost Yao Shengan his life.
But this time, Yao Shengan's pulse was no different from that of a normal person.
Hearing the words of the imperial physician, Yao Shengan showed an expression that seemed to be crying but not crying. Having been tortured by illness for too long, he had forgotten what a normal person's body was like.
Nan Liujing was also very happy and said to Yao Rong, "The wishing star really works."
"No, in order to let my uncle compensate me, I must put more responsibilities on him when his body is completely recovered."
Yao Rong smiled and said, "I think this idea is very good."
Seeing that Yao Rong was completely on his side, Nan Liujing was even happier.
It turned out that the queen mother loved him the most.
After the imperial physician finished prescribing the medicine and left, Yao Shengan turned to look at Nan Liujing and asked him why he came here.
Nan Liujing said, "My mother came to me in my dream last night."
Yao Shengan smacked his lips, a little jealous: "Why doesn't my sister ever come to me in my dream?"
Nan Liujing laughed out loud: "It's okay, although my mother didn't come to you in your dream, she asked me to pass on a few words to you."
Yao Shengan: "..."
Yao Shengan looked strange, comforting himself: OK, at least my sister hasn't completely forgotten about him, her brother.
Nan Liujing dismissed everyone and told Yao Shengan about the boat trip on the lake.
When Yao Shengan showed shock on his face, Nan Liujing said again: "My mother also said that after her death, she was recruited to the Heavenly Palace to become an immortal, and she also asked for an elixir from the Heavenly Palace. It is said that those who use this elixir will be able to strengthen their bodies and turn danger into fortune..."
Having said that, Nan Liujing looked at Yao Shengan, who was completely stunned, and patted Yao Shengan on the shoulder, imitating what Yao Rong did to him yesterday.
"In the dream, my mother and I agreed to use this elixir on you, my uncle. After we made this decision, the elixir disappeared and I woke up."
Yao Shengan raised his head and looked at Nan Liujing in disbelief: "... So you brought the Imperial Doctor to visit me today?"
Nan Liujing was happy for Yao Shengan: "I was just trying my luck. I didn't expect that dream to be real."
Yao Shengan trembled and touched his legs.
"Uncle, my mother asked me to tell you that this elixir is not for you to be lazy, but for you to cheer up and work with me to govern the world better."
Yao Shengan was very moved and repeatedly assured Nan Liujing that he would definitely put more energy into government affairs in the future and would definitely work hard to create a peaceful and prosperous era with him.
Nan Liujing nodded with satisfaction. Not bad, not bad, this wishing star is well worth it.
Yao Rong felt speechless and amused about what Nan Liujing did under her name.
But never mind, since one should share the emperor's worries, it is good for Yao Shengan to be busy. After working hard
for a whole afternoon, no matter how hard Yao Shengan tried to stay awake, he couldn't help showing fatigue on his face. Nan Liujing didn't disturb him to rest, and told him to take good care of himself these days, and then left the Dingguo Mansion. It was still early
outside, and since it was a rare trip, Nan Liujing was not in a hurry to return to the palace. He planned to find a restaurant to have some tea and snacks, and by the way, listen to what's new in Kyoto recently.
In the carriage, Yao Rong asked Nan Liujing curiously: "Why are you so nice to your uncle? Nan Liujing
said: "Privately, my uncle is the only relative my mother and I have in this world."
"Since I met my uncle, he has always cared about me. I have rarely experienced this kind of care between relatives, so I cherish it very much."
Of course, Nan Liujing has many half-siblings.
However, the only relative he recognizes in his heart is Yao Shengan.
"Publicly, my uncle is the only remaining blood of the Yao family."
"The Yao family has guarded the border for Daye for 150 years and has never let down the Daye royal family, but the royal family has let down the Yao family a lot."
"As the emperor, I can't let the meritorious officials down again."
So both publicly and privately, he should use the wishing star on Yao Shengan.
***
After a while, the carriage turned into Zhuque Street and stopped in front of a newly opened wine shop.
Nan Liujing took Guisheng and several guards to the second floor and chose a seat by the window.
It was not dinner time, so there were not many customers in the restaurant. Guisheng ordered a few dishes according to Nan Liujing's preferences, stuffed a dime into the waiter's pocket, and asked him to tell him some of the latest news in Beijing.
"You have asked the right person to tell me this new thing."
Seeing that they were dressed richly and were generous, the waiter was happy to say a few more words: "Recently, a wine shop opened in the south of the city."
Guisheng asked: "What's new about opening a wine shop?"
Nan Liujing drank a cup of tea: "It seems that the person who opened the wine shop is very new."
The waiter smiled and said: "Hey, the guest is right. The owner of the wine shop is a young lady, her surname is Qiu, and we all call her Miss Qiu."
The guests at the next table frowned when they heard this: "There are still women selling wine on the street in the capital? How can this be accepted?"
The waiter said: "Alas, Miss Qiu has a miserable life. After her parents died unexpectedly, other uncles and aunts set their sights on her family property and wanted to marry her off casually. , and then embezzled her family property. Lady Qiu saw through the calculations of those relatives, not only did she file a lawsuit against those relatives in the government, but she also registered a female household in the government. After that, she opened this wine shop with her own skills and the money left by her parents. "
The guest at the next table asked: "Female household? What does this mean?"
The waiter explained: "This is a new decree issued by the court. If there is no male in the household, the girl can go to the government to register a female household. Lady Qiu is the first person in this dynasty to register a female household, and she was praised by the Jingzhao Yin, who said she was something... Oh, she was said to be a heroine and a role model for women!"
Seeing that the guest at the next table wanted to say something, the waiter hurriedly said: "It is said that this is a decree issued by His Majesty himself."
The guest at the next table immediately dared not say a word.
Nan Liujing put down his teacup and smiled: "Jingzhao Yin's evaluation is correct. She is indeed a remarkable woman. I wonder if your restaurant has any wine from her restaurant?"
"Yes! Yes! Our shopkeeper is a good friend of Madam Qiu's father, so we buy all our wine from Madam Qiu." The waiter said happily, "Sir, would you like a bottle?"
Nan Liujing nodded: "One bottle."
After the waiter brought the wine, Nan Liujing tried to drink a glass.
"It's really good."
In his eyes, if he could praise it as good, it meant that the wine was really good.
Nan Liujing gave the remaining wine to the guards and asked the waiter if there was anything else interesting.
The waiter thought for a moment and said, "There is one more thing that may be of interest to you. A few days ago, a clinic opened in the east of the city, called Qingshui Clinic. The doctors and apprentices in that clinic are all women. And they only accept female patients, not male patients."
The name Qingshui Clinic made Nan Liujing's heart move.
A guest from another table interrupted, "I have heard of this clinic. It is said that the doctor Yang Le in that clinic is very young but has excellent medical skills."
The guess in his heart was confirmed. Nan Liujing's lips curved slightly and said to Yao Rong, "I didn't expect that after so many years, I could hear the name of this child Yang Le from other people."
Yao Rong said: [This shows that the benevolent policy of free private schools is meaningful.]
The unintentional planting of willows in those years finally paid off.
Nan Liujing said, "I think there are a lot of gossips in the capital."
Seeing Nan Liujing's thoughtful look, Guisheng asked the waiter to go back and do other things: "Young Master, do you want to visit the wine shop and the clinic?"
Nan Liujing shook his head.
It's not necessary to visit, but he can do something.
After returning to the palace, Nan Liujing went directly into Yu's study, wrote inscriptions for the wine shop and the clinic, and ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to prepare the plaques and send them to the wine shop and the clinic with great fanfare.
Let's not talk about how surprised Qiu Niangzi was after receiving the plaques. In Qingshui Clinic, Yang Le was chatting with his brother Yang Tie.
Looking at his sister who looked a little haggard, Yang Tie said angrily: "Those people are gossiping about you again?"
Yang Le smiled and said: "It's okay, they say what they say, I do mine. I know what I am doing is the right thing."
Yang Tie still felt sorry for his sister. Just when he was about to say something, there was a sudden loud sound of gongs and drums outside.
Then, Yang Le's apprentice stumbled in and said: "Master, you...you should go out and take a look..."
Yang Le and Yang Tie looked at each other, thinking that something urgent had happened, and hurried out.
But the next moment, they were stunned.
The person from the Ministry of Internal Affairs walked up to Yang Le and said with a smile: "You must be Doctor Yang Le."
Yang Le nodded: "Yes, I am. Your Excellency, this is..."
The person from the Ministry of Internal Affairs clasped his fists towards the direction of the palace: "After hearing about the Qingshui Clinic, His Majesty specially wrote an inscription for the Qingshui Clinic. Please take a look--"
The people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs stepped aside, revealing the plaque behind them that was covered with red cloth.
"Your Majesty wrote a poem for me?" Yang Le's eyes widened suddenly, and under the urging of the other party, she stretched out her hand to lift the red cloth.
On the plaque, the four characters "Doctors are kind-hearted" were written in a flying dragon and phoenix dance.
After delivering the plaque, the people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs left quickly, but those who were watching the excitement came up one after another, asking Yang Le what was going on and why His Majesty suddenly wrote a poem for her.
Yang Le looked at the plaque, and suddenly turned his head with tears in his eyes to look at his brother Yang Tie: "Brother, I did it. I really did it. I succeeded in making His Majesty hear my name from other people's mouths."
Yang Tie was happy for Yang Le, and he was the one who knew best how hard Yang Le had worked over the years: "With this plaque, I don't know who dares to gossip in front of you in the future!"
Yang Le said: "Your Majesty must want me to be a role model for women all over the world to follow, so he specially wrote this plaque."
She secretly made up her mind that she must work harder in the future and strive to become the best doctor in the world.
Sure enough, not long after, the court spread the word that it would recruit some female officials.
Although the number of female officials was scarce and the rank was not high, this news undoubtedly made many women excited.
This policy made many conservative old-fashioned people dissatisfied.
Some more open-minded families, such as the Qu family where Qu Jianbai was from and the Liang family where Liang Guangyu was from, took the lead in responding to the policy and encouraged outstanding women in the family to compete.
In addition to recruiting female officials from major families, Nan Liujing gave the other half of the female official quota to free private schools, selecting suitable candidates from outstanding female students who graduated from private schools over the years.
As soon as this move was made, the number of female students in private schools suddenly skyrocketed. Families who were originally reluctant to send their daughters to school were also happy.
- What if their daughters were also selected to be officials? Even if it was just a lowly ninth-rank official, for these farmers who had worked for generations, it was a great event that could change their family status and bring honor to their ancestors!
In the eighth year of Zhaoming, people donated cotton seeds.
Nan Liujing was overjoyed and began to vigorously promote the production and planting of cotton.
In the ninth year of Zhaoming, even the most remote Lingnan area built free private schools.
In the tenth year of Zhaoming, the Yellow River was well managed.
Jiang Ding, who had been away from Beijing for many years, returned to the court in style and was promoted to the Minister of Works.
After the banquet for all the ministers, Nan Liujing kept Jiang Ding in the palace for a small gathering.
Li Guanqi and Qi Si were there too.
Li Guanqi was amazed: "I never thought that you, the third brother, would be promoted before me."
He was only the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue at that time.
Jiang Ding chuckled and said, "How can you talk like that? From now on, you have to call me Shangshu Lord."
Considering that Jiang Ding had just returned to Beijing, Qi Si rarely refrained from arguing with Jiang Ding.
As a result, Jiang Ding was still unhappy: "Fourth Brother, if you don't argue with me, I always feel a little uncomfortable."
Qi Si: "..."
Qi Si rolled his eyes at Jiang Ding fiercely, thinking that this guy was just itchy. Jiang Ding patted his chest and said, "I feel relieved."
Qi Si almost swung his elbow over: "Are you sick?"
After three rounds of wine, Jiang Ding looked at the seat that was deliberately vacated: "It's a pity that my eldest brother is not in Beijing."
Nan Liujing smiled and said: "Maybe it won't be long before my eldest brother Qi doesn't need to guard the border all year round."
Qi Si was the most sensitive: "Your Majesty, are you going to use troops against Di Rong?"
Nan Liujing nodded slightly.
He has been on the throne for ten years.
In the past ten years, the treasury was full, the court was stable, and the people's lives gradually returned to peace and tranquility. Daye already had the conditions to launch a large-scale war.
In order to subdue Qu Jianbai, he spent more than a year to write a ten-thousand-word policy paper.
In that policy paper, he described his ideal Daye like this-
the people no longer have to worry about displacement, the court no longer has the suffering of powerful officials, and the border no longer has the chaos of foreign races.
Now the first two items have been almost completed, and it is time to realize the last one.
In the eleventh year of Zhaoming, King Dirong was seriously ill, and his sons were fighting for the position of successor.
After receiving this news, Nan Liujing smiled slightly, knowing that the time had come to send troops to attack Dirong.
For this day, he has been preparing for too long.
At the court meeting the next day, Nan Liujing announced the news of the military campaign against Di Rong, and ordered the Ministry of Revenue to immediately prepare food and grass, and the Ministry of War to immediately prepare weapons and equipment to be sent to the front line.
Yao Shengan stepped out on the spot and took the initiative to request to serve as the food transport officer for this war.
Li Guanqi, Jiang Ding and Qi Si also stepped out and requested to go to the border.
Nan Liujing said loudly: "I have approved it all."
With him sitting in the rear to make arrangements, and Yao Shengan and others rushing to the front to cooperate in the battle, the tragedy that happened to General Yao and others that year would never happen to Qi Mingxu again.
In October of the eleventh year of Zhaoming, the autumn harvest in Beidi was over, and all food and grass materials were also fully allocated.
Qi Mingxu had been training troops in Beidi for many years, just for this war to destroy the country.
He was ordered to go to war, and within a month, he broke into the court of the King of Dirong and captured the third and fifth princes of Dirong alive.
Seven days later, he successfully beheaded the King of Dirong.
At this point, Dirong was destroyed, and the territory of Dirong was incorporated into the territory of Daye. The border troubles that lasted for a hundred years were finally settled.
Before the end of the year, the army returned to the court. Nan Liujing
, wearing the emperor's crown and robes, went to the city gate in person and stood on the city gate to welcome the army's triumphant return.
Qi Mingxu saw Nan Liujing's figure from a distance, and quickly turned over and dismounted, and stepped forward to kneel down.
Nan Liujing supported him: "You are wearing armor, so you don't need to perform such a grand ceremony."
Qi Mingxu changed to a fist salute: "Your Majesty, I am glad to have fulfilled your command."
At noon that day, Nan Liujing's imperial decree of reward came down: Qi Mingxu was promoted from the second-rank cavalry general to the first-rank general for his military merits, and was awarded the title of Marquis of Zhenbei.
For many years afterwards, Qi Mingxu would either stay still or fight a war that would destroy the country. He continued to expand Daye's territory outward, allowing Nan Liujing's glory to spread to the four seas and eight wildernesses, and was promoted to the title of Duke of Zhenbei for his military merits.
In the fifteenth year of Zhaoming, while inspecting the spring ploughing, Nan Liujing praised the people in front of the people as the cornerstone and foundation of Daye.
Afterwards, Nan Liujing issued an imperial edict to the world, in which he encouraged the people to go to the yamen and tell the officials of the yamen about some of their extraordinary experiences, so that the officials of the yamen could record them in the book.
"Next, I will spend a few years to create a history book."
"This history book is not written for civil and military officials, not for talented scholars and beautiful women, but only for the most ordinary and common people in the world."
When this edict came out, the world was shocked.
At first, no one dared to believe it was true, until someone plucked up the courage to step into the yamen to tell his experience and was able to produce evidence to prove that what he said was true. Then a clerk really wrote down his words and gave him an exquisite persimmon pendant as a souvenir.
The government office was immediately overcrowded.
It took a full six months for all places to sort out the recorded things and record them in local chronicles. Some of the more epic deeds were sent to the court, compiled by historians, and then Nan Liujing personally wrote a preface and issued it to the world.
In the thousands of years of dynasty history, this was the first time that an emperor wrote a preface for the common people and praised the common people.
In the eighteenth year of Zhaoming, Nan Liujing asked the inner cabinet to draft an imperial edict to confer the title of "Taifu" on his teacher.
The emperor's teacher is the imperial teacher, so naturally he is worthy of the title of Taifu. But the inner cabinet had never heard of such a teacher.
Someone asked Nan Liujing about the identity and name of the imperial teacher, and Nan Liujing just smiled.
"Without the teacher, there would be no me today, and there would be no revival of the country today. It was she who brought me out of the cold palace, and it was she who taught me how to be a good emperor."
"No one in this world can know what the teacher has done for this world, but I know it very well."
History will never record the achievements of his mother, and the system of cultivating wise rulers cannot be known to the world. The world may also let down those who have shed blood and sacrificed for it -
but he must use some special way to let future generations know the contribution of his mother.
In the end, it was Qu Jianbai, who had served as the chief assistant of the inner cabinet, who drafted this imperial edict on behalf of the emperor.
When handing the imperial edict to the emperor, Qu Jianbai said with regret: "It seems that I can't see your majesty's teacher in person."
Nan Liujing asked with a smile: "Master Qu, do you really want to make friends with my teacher?"
Qu Jianbai said: "Your majesty's teacher is definitely an unparalleled national scholar who can teach such an excellent student as your majesty. It is a great regret in my life that I can't make friends with such a person."
Nan Liujing's smile became even brighter: "Can I ask Master Qu for a favor?"
"Your majesty, please speak."
Nan Liujing said seriously: "Spread this comment."
Qu Jianbai instantly guessed Nan Liujing's intention: "Your majesty, don't worry."
In the 20th year of Zhaoming, the world was in great order.
The king of the fallen country who once burned himself in the Zhaixing Palace finally became the leader of the revival respected by the world.
In his previous life, he was the last remaining light of this decadent dynasty. Even if he tried his best, he could only keep the light for a moment before the dynasty fell into eternal darkness.
In this life, he finally became the rising sun of this decadent dynasty.
The last remaining light will fade, and the rising sun will rise.