Chapter 149: I have known the universe, but I still feel pity for the plants and trees
The five words, as light as a goose feather, made Emperor Chengming pause for a moment.
"How dare you! How dare you look directly at His Majesty! Who gave you the courage..."
Eunuch Kang noticed Shang Yuwan's disrespect and opened his mouth to rebuke him, but Emperor Chengming raised his hand to signal him to shut up.
Faced with Emperor Chengming's order, Eunuch Kang immediately fell silent.
There was silence for a moment in Luanyang Palace, and then Emperor Chengming spoke again.
"Where is your home? Are your parents still alive? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
Shang Yuwan lowered his head again, but kept his back straight. "Cao Chen is homeless, his parents are dead, and he has no brothers or sisters."
"No wonder you're appreciated by Xu'er." Emperor Chengming's expression was gentle, and he looked calm. "You must have endured a lot of hardships during these years of working among the common people."
Shang Yuwan lowered his head even more. "I am too stupid to take credit for anything. The greatest contribution to the affairs of Luzhou City, Yanmen City, and Caixia Town must go to Her Royal Highness the Princess."
When Emperor Chengming heard this, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened a little.
"Aren't you Xu'er's advisor? Why are you speaking for Gu'er? Could it be that Gu'er did you some favor?"
"Your Highness the Princess is kind-hearted. I dare not demand a reward for my merits." Shang Yuwan responded to Emperor Chengming's joke in a serious manner.
"Well... then tell me, Her Highness the Princess wants to be crowned king and participate in politics. What do you think?"
Shang Yuwan glanced at Xiao Qinggu, then retracted his gaze and said, "What I said is of no use. The key lies in whether Her Royal Highness can give the world a reason to accept her."
If you want to become the first princess in Dayu history to be crowned a king and participate in politics, it is not enough to rely solely on the support of others.
Emperor Chengming looked at Xiao Qinggu with a hint of admiration in his eyes.
"Gu'er, tonight is your celebration banquet. Your father won't test you on the Four Books and Five Classics, military books, or strategies. Instead, your father will ask you why you wish to be crowned king and participate in government."
What Emperor Chengming asked was Xiao Qinggu's original intention.
Xiao Qinggu first bowed to Emperor Chengming, then turned to look at Baili Pu, who was pinned down by Yuan Ji and could not move or speak.
Her long eyelashes trembled and her gaze turned to Yuan Ji.
"Does Yuan Zhongcheng know what the price of rice was two years ago?"
Yuan Ji quickly realized what was happening and said, "The year before last, there was a good harvest. The price was seven to eight coins per dou of rice, and seventy to eighty coins per dan."
The price of rice in Dayu has always been relatively stable. Yuan Ji has never heard of any news about problems with rice prices in the Censorate. Why is Consultant Xiao Qing doing this?
Xiao Qinggu smiled bitterly.
"But the price of rice in the town of Qiyu and its surrounding villages is as high as ten wen per dou, and as high as one hundred to one hundred and twenty wen per dan."
...Zheyu Town?
Yuan Ji frowned. Where is Qiyu Town?
Although Xiao Qinggu had originally planned to ask him something, he had never heard of the place called Qiyu Town.
Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu were also a little stunned.
They had discussed with Xiao Qinggu at the time that they would use some information that the court officials were not aware of to calm the situation, but they did not expect Xiao Qinggu to bring up a small town whose name was unknown.
The expression between Emperor Chengming's eyebrows changed slightly, but he said nothing.
"..." Xiao Qinggu was silent for a moment. "The price of rice in Ziyu Town was very high two years ago. I happened to find someone fleeing famine after the harvest season, so I went to visit them."
"There was a family in Geyu Town named Deng. Because the harvest was good and the price of rice had dropped, the Deng family bought up all the rice in Geyu Town and the surrounding area, and even forced people to buy a lot of it."
"The town of Qiyu and the surrounding villages have little contact with the outside world, and there's only one road leading to the city of Qian. The Deng family blocked that road, forcing the people to pay more money to buy food from the Deng family."
Luanyang Palace was silent for a moment, and Yuan Ji took the opportunity to ask, "The people of Qiyu Town can't leave, but the mayor of Qiancheng didn't notice it at all?"
Xiao Qinggu said: "The Gao family and the Lord of Qiancheng are close relatives, they are like snakes and rats from the same nest."
In this way, the people of Xuxu Town naturally could not be saved.
"At that time, I had nothing in my hands." Xiao Qinggu looked at Emperor Chengming, "I was just a princess, and a princess who concealed her identity. I could do nothing."
"I wrote a letter back to the capital, begging the Emperor to help me, and this matter was finally resolved. Since everyone in the court was celebrating the good harvest, no one made it public."
"Luzhou City, Yanmen City, Caixia Town... If someone hadn't helped me, I wouldn't have been able to save those people."
Xiao Qinggu's face was a little lonely, "At that time, I was thinking, if only I could be as powerful as my elder brother and the second brother."
"They can protect those they want to protect, help those they want to help, save the dying and the wounded, fight against the strong and support the weak, and are tenacious, brave, intelligent, and unyielding..."
Xiao Qingji was slightly stunned, and Xiao Tong was also stunned for a moment.
Shang Yuwan lowered her eyes, she thought that Xiaoman’s death had a great impact on Xiao Qinggu.
Because of her own weakness and incompetence, she could only use her title of princess to buy longer life for those around her. She was both terrified and in great torment.
"Father, I don't want to be incompetent."
The loneliness on Xiao Qinggu's face disappeared, and his eyes became extremely firm.
"I am a princess of Dayu, born to be worshipped by the people and enjoy every bit of wealth and honor. I cannot bear to disappoint the people's expectations. I am willing to dedicate my life to serving the world, to serving the people, to carrying on the lost teachings of the ancient sages, and to bringing peace to the world for all eternity!"
Bailipu's struggle suddenly loosened, and Yuan Ji saw this and lightened his grip on her.
Xiao Tong was in a trance for a moment, as if he had returned to the day before he was sent to Langjiang Kingdom as a hostage.
"I am the princess of Dayu, born into wealth and honor, worshipped by the people! If I don't go, who will? My royal brother, please stop trying to persuade me. Thousands of people have worshipped my Xiao royal family for over two hundred years. I'm just a hostage. How could I be afraid of that old man from Langjiang Kingdom?"
At that time, Xiao Tong was so high-spirited and fearless... It has been so long since then that even Xiao Tong himself can't remember it clearly.
Xiao Qinggu knelt down decisively and bowed his head to the ground.
"I beg Your Majesty, Father, to grant me a chance to repay Dayu and the people!"
"......" Emperor Chengming looked at Shang Yuwan, "What do you think?"
Shang Yuwan seized the opportunity and told Xiao Qinggu everything about his performance in Luzhou City.
"That day, Youkou's army attacked, using the Emperor's grandson as an excuse to capture Luzhou City. After the civilians in the city had all evacuated, Her Royal Highness led the way, blocking the city gates. With her own strength, she suppressed millions of soldiers and horses, and with her own life, she protected the civilians."
"Dayu is a vast land, encompassing more than just the town of Qiyu, and more than just the Deng family. Despite her high position, the princess has spent years traveling among the common people, understanding the vastness of the universe and yet still cherishing the greenery of trees and grass. She has never been complacent, always reflecting on herself, caring for the people, and showing compassion for all living beings."
Shang Yuwan finally said, "In my humble opinion, the princess's enthronement as king is feasible."
"You are good at speaking nice words." Emperor Chengming finally showed a sincere smile.
Shang Yuwan said: "Every word I say comes from my heart, without a single falsehood."
Xiao Qinggu is indeed a person who "knows the vastness of the universe, but still pities the green grass and trees." If it were Shang Yuwan himself, he might not be able to do the same.
After all, in Shang Yuwan's heart, apart from the Twelve Monks Mingqi, revenge is the most important thing to her, and even Xiao Qingxu has to stand back.
Xiao Qinggu smiled quietly.
In fact, she learned the principle of "knowing the vastness of the universe, but still pitying the green grass and trees" from Shang Yuwan.
Shang Yuwan would rack her brains to save more people, would go to check on the injured people in the early morning to see how they were doing, and would spare Xiao Tao's life because she was innocent... She had done so much that Xiao Qinggu would probably say she was being rude.
Perhaps it was because Shang Yuwan never focused most of her energy on herself, so we always overlooked her extra kindness towards others.
Emperor Chengming looked at the others.
"What do you think?"
In a moment, many people stood up and saluted, saying, "The princess is crowned king, it is what everyone wants!"
Since Baili Pu did not move, Emperor Chengming took it as his consent.
"Eunuch Kang."
"The servant is here."
"After the banquet, you will personally go and inform the Zongzheng Temple that the princess has been crowned king."
"Yes, I obey your order."
Xiao Qingji glanced at Xiao Tong out of the corner of his eye and found that she was looking at Xiao Qinggu with tender admiration.
"......" Xiao Qingji felt sad and said nothing.
Before Xiao Qinggu could show any joy on his face, Emperor Chengming suddenly let out an "Ah".
Shang Yuwan and the others were stunned.
What else does Emperor Chengming want to do?
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