Chapter 73: Is it that difficult to just give in?
Shen Zhejiang finally couldn't stand the torture anymore and couldn't hold on any longer.
Xiao Zhinian relaxed his tense jawline a little and pulled Shen Zhejiang's limp body out of the water. Water splashed everywhere, and his wet and slender legs stepped on the marble floor.
He looked at Shen Zhejiang's head tilted to one side. His hair was wet from the intense fight just now, and there were still drops of water on his face. He didn't know whether it was sweat or tears.
Shen Zhejiang must have been in great pain. Even though his lower lip was bitten by him, he muffled his voice and refused to make a sound.
Xiao Zhinian murmured, "Sir, are you deliberately trying to piss me off? Is it that hard to just give in?"
He let out a long sigh.
Behind Wen Huachi there was a spacious rosewood carved bed with a fluttering red gauze curtain. It was fully furnished with bedding and pillows, except for clothes.
Xiao Zhinian gently placed Shen Zhejiang on the bed, pulled a red and green quilt over him, and then let him lean on his arms. He took a dry towel in his hand and carefully wiped Shen Zhejiang's wet hair.
When it was almost done, Xiao Zhinian threw the towel on the ground, pulled down the curtain, and shouted, "Liu Bao, come in."
Soon, Liu Bao came in. He didn't dare to look around, so he could only stare at the ground and kneel down and say, "Your servant is here."
Xiao Zhinian tucked the corners of the quilt for Shen Zhejiang, tightly fitting it so that no one could see his springtime beauty. "Have you brought all the things I asked you to bring?"
Liu Bao took out a box of ointment from his sleeve, held it up with both hands and said, "I brought it."
Xiao Zhinian reached out from behind the curtain and brought it in, waving his hand and saying, "Go and prepare two more sets of clean clothes. Don't tell anyone about what happened tonight, or it won't be as simple as thirty lashes. Go away."
Liu Bao kowtowed and said, "Yes, I will remember this."
Except for the first time when he failed to use the medicine in time due to an emergency, Xiao Zhinian applied medicine to Shen Zhejiang carefully every time afterwards, just because he was afraid that Shen Zhejiang could not bear the pain.
But this time Xiao Zhinian was really angry and went in without being ready. In fact, both of them felt uncomfortable. Fortunately, they were in the water and it was not too dry and fierce.
Xiao Zhinian looked at Shen Zhejiang, who was still frowning even after fainting, and knew that he must be in great pain. Guilt and resentment surged up at the same time.
He opened the lid of the medicine box and applied it to every purple scratch and pinch mark on Shen Zhejiang's body. When he got to the lower part, he found that it was even bleeding.
"......"
Xiao Zhinian was stunned for a moment.
What did he do just now!
"Hmm..."
Even if the movements were gentle, the wound would still hurt if it was touched. Shen Zhejiang unconsciously tightened the pillow underneath him and turned his waist to avoid the instigator.
As Xiao Zhinian cleaned him up, he whispered, "It will be done soon, just bear with it."
He cleaned up as quickly as possible and put on his underwear for Shen Zhejiang. Xiao Zhinian had always been pampered and didn't know how to take care of others, but he inevitably learned a little bit while getting along with Shen Zhejiang.
What's more, Shen Zhejiang was in a coma at this time. Coupled with his resistance just now, he seemed even more resistant when he smelled the scent of Xiao Zhinian, so he would not obey him so easily.
But he refused to let others do it.
"I won't touch you anymore, okay, don't move..."
Xiao Zhinian half-tricked and half-cajoled, clumsily tying the last belt for Shen Zhejiang, and finally finished everything.
He turned back and soaked in the pool for half an hour. When he came back, he found Shen Zhejiang curled up into a ball, looking like a kitten that had been bullied, helpless and pitiful.
Xiao Zhinian stood by the bed for a long time, his hands and feet were a little cold, and finally he lifted the quilt and slowly lay down beside Shen Zhejiang.
A sleepless night.
-
"Your Majesty, may your presence be with you!!"
In the court, amidst cheers from all sides, Xiao Zhinian, wearing a black imperial robe embroidered with gold dragon patterns and a nine-tassel pearl crown on his head, walked slowly among the officials kneeling on both sides of the hall, ascended the throne, and looked dignified and majestic.
Xiao Zhinian is no longer the Xiao Zhinian who had just ascended the throne three years ago. He has long lost the immaturity of his youth. At this moment, he is the formidable king of the Dayan Dynasty.
He turned around, brushed his sleeves and sat down, glanced at the crowd of people below, and waved his hand expressionlessly, saying, "No need to be polite. If you have something to say, please get up and report it."
The first person to report to the court was the Minister of Revenue, who looked to be in his forties or fifties. He held a memorial in his hands respectfully and said solemnly, "I report that recently, the distant mountains in Qingzhou were covered with snow and collapsed, and nearly half of the population was affected. There were at least a thousand deaths, and the people were devastated. I request that Your Majesty allocate disaster relief funds to open warehouses for relief grain. Otherwise, Qingzhou may be in chaos."
The eunuch serving beside Xiao Zhinian lowered his head and handed the memorial from the Minister of Revenue to the emperor on the high throne for his review.
Xiao Zhinian took it in his hand, unfolded it and read it quickly. Then he raised his eyes and fell on the Minister of Revenue again with a chill, and asked: "Qingzhou is located in the southwest of Handan City, surrounded by Qingluan Mountain, Ziyuan Mountain and other mountains rich in minerals, but the local people are ignorant and rushed to dig for minerals, resulting in exhaustion of resources and the mountain is crumbling. I remember that last year I ordered the Ministry of Revenue to allocate 300,000 taels of silver to evacuate nearby residents and ordered the governor of Handan City to educate the enlightened people to stay away from the foot of the mountain. Why did thousands of people still suffer during the avalanche? Fang Shiyuan, explain it to me clearly."
Xiao Zhinian has traveled a lot in recent years, and has been to quite a few places. But his real purpose is not to travel, and he is not really reluctant to leave. He uses the name of traveling to secretly look for Chen Zhejiang's whereabouts, and to make a private visit to investigate the people's sentiments.
Handancheng and Qingzhou are remote areas, and there is not even a single ink mark on the regional map. However, Xiao Zhinian was able to mention them off the top of his head, which shows how much he put in.
The Taoist priest Yuan Fang, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, really didn't expect that the emperor who usually looked lazy and careless had such a clear mind. He was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. He dared not hesitate any longer and quickly replied: "Your Majesty, most merchants in Qingzhou made their fortunes by trading ore. Although the mines are dangerous, they are very profitable, so they hired people to mine at high prices, which caused many deaths and injuries in the landslide. I received an urgent report from Handan City yesterday and learned about this matter. I am also terrified."
With a loud crash, the memorial was thrown hard onto Fang Shiyuan's knees, and then fell to the ground with a thud. Everyone was silent.
At the same time, Fang Shiyuan knelt down in response.
"According to you, those who died tragically under the snowy mountains all brought it upon themselves?" Xiao Zhinian placed his slender fingers on the handle of the throne, the ring on his index finger gleaming coldly, and his words seemed to be sharpened by a knife cutting through rotten meat. "I ask you, how many households are there in the entire Qingzhou, including women, children, and the elderly?"
"...Five thousand and thirty households."
Xiao Zhinian said, "If that's the case, 300,000 taels of silver would be enough for each household to pay for food, clothing, shelter and transportation. Why would they risk their lives to mine for ore? Minister Fang, this matter is your responsibility. You should explain every expense in the account books clearly."
What other reason could there be? It's nothing more than that the money was not delivered to the recipient but was withheld in some unknown place.
Prime Minister Hu, who was standing in the front row, was deeply moved when he heard that his Majesty was so well organized. His eyes were filled with tears and he kept wiping his tears with his sleeves.
It seems that there is a reason why His Majesty goes out so frequently. He will no longer stop His Majesty from leaving the palace!
Fang Shiyuan said tremblingly: "I followed your majesty's order to escort the money all the way, and I did not dare to delay. I arrived at Handan City. After handing over the imperial edict and 300,000 taels to the prefect of Handan City, I rode back at night to report to your majesty. I, I don't know what happened next..."
Xiao Zhinian stared at him: "How could you not know?"
Fang Shiyuan suddenly felt horrified.
Last night, news came from Yanqing Palace that Xiao Zhinian ordered five people to be beaten to death. At that time, he thought it was some ungrateful and talkative servant who was spreading rumors about His Majesty, but now it seems that it is not entirely false.
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