Chapter 675: Civil Unrest Leads to the Collapse of Rites and Music
What Shen Qingqian didn't know was that the weather outside northern Hubei was no better than that in northern Hubei. The six northwestern states and other prefectures of Dajin were all shrouded in high temperatures and drought, and the drought situation had become extremely urgent.
At the Zhao Palace, the Zhao King stared at Zhao Ling with a dark face. After a long while, he spoke, "You said that the people in northern Hubei have no intention of buying coarse salt from us."
Zhao Ling's back was covered in cold sweat, but he remained calm as he replied, "Yes, my son asked someone to find out, but ever since we announced we would no longer trade with northern Hubei, news from northern Hubei has been tightly controlled. Our spies couldn't get through, and none of the previous ones had been able to send any information back."
"A bunch of rubbish." King Zhao closed his eyes and said gravely, "They openly said they didn't need it, so someone must have secretly got the salt in Chenzhou. How did you deal with this matter?"
Zhao Ling froze and immediately knelt down. "Father, please calm down. I have always remembered your teachings and have strictly managed the salt mines. Not a single pound of salt has flowed into northern Hubei!"
Although he did not admit it, King Zhao's words still frightened him, because after excluding other options, this was the most likely answer.
After all, it is well known that there are no salt mines in northern Hubei, and there are no salt dealers outside the Great Wall selling salt to the interior of the Great Wall. There is also no news of any large-scale salt mines being mined and used outside the Great Wall.
"What are you still standing here for? Go and check it out!" King Zhao waved his hand tiredly, not wanting to say another word to Zhao Ling.
Zhao Ling stood up and dared not say anything more.
He turned to go out, but ran into Zhao Bing, the third son of King Zhao, who had followed him into the yard to answer him.
"Hello, big brother." Zhao Bing bowed politely to Zhao Ling.
Zhao Ling returned the greeting stiffly, "Third brother."
"My younger brother still has to report disaster relief matters to father, so I won't chat with you for long. Let's find some time to have a drink together later." Zhao Bing's attitude towards him didn't change at all. Instead, it was very intimate. If you didn't know, you would think they had a very good relationship.
Zhao Ling nodded, "I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."
After saying that, he left the yard.
Zhao Bing turned around to look at his back, with a teasing smile on his lips. He, as the eldest brother, was still a little too young.
Without thinking too much, Zhao Bing entered the study and respectfully knelt before King Zhao, "Son greets father."
"Get up and tell me how the task you were assigned to do is going." The tone of King Zhao's voice when speaking to Zhao Bing was much kinder than when he spoke to Zhao Ling.
Zhao Bing stood up and bowed, saying, "I have already relocated the people suffering from the drought to a place with water. However," he knelt down again, "I have distributed half a month's worth of food to them without your consent. I beg your punishment."
"No need to kneel. They told me about this matter a long time ago. Do you think you can mobilize so much food without my permission?" King Zhao said lightly.
Zhao Bing bowed with gratitude before saying, "It is my son who has caused trouble for my father. Thank you for not blaming me."
"You have done a great job. This drought is coming with great force. If the people are not resettled in advance, the six northwestern states will soon be in chaos. When the people are in chaos, rituals and music will collapse, and when rituals and music collapse, war will break out. Jinzhou and the six northwestern states must not have civil strife now." King Zhao said in a deep voice.
Zhao Bing was completely relieved when he heard this. His father was simply teaching him how to govern the country!
It seems that my eldest brother is one step closer to losing his position as the crown prince.
In the evening, Ling Yun brought Shen Qingning and Shen Qingyu back, and two horse-drawn carriages followed the mule cart.
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