Another of Wu Ge's men said, "Brother, look at this shrew. She's ferocious and ugly. If she gets into Yihongyuan, she'll ruin our reputation."
Wu Ge stroked his chin and said, "Well, but Qin Hui has been visiting brothels for over a month without paying a cent. We're at a huge loss, aren't we?"
"Why don't we break off one of this woman's legs to vent our anger!" A guard took out a dagger, and it flashed with a cold light.
Wang Guixiang was startled: "How much does he owe you?"
Wu Ge stretched out his hand: "Five hundred taels of silver!"
Wang Guixiang's eyes widened. "How much?" She took off a gold hairpin from her head and said, "This is the dowry my parents gave me. Everyone, take this and exchange it for some silver. I think it should be enough."
The three of them looked at each other, and Wu Ge grabbed it and said, "Let's go!"
After saying that, the three of them climbed over the wall and onto the roof, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Wang Guixiang patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking of Qin Hui, she immediately became furious and rushed home.
On the roof, Wu Ge and the other two watched and chuckled.
The servant helped Qin Hui to sit down in the yard. Qin Hui was beaten very hard and it took him half a month to recuperate before he could finally get out of bed.
With a "bang", the door was kicked open, and Wang Guixiang stared at Qin Hui with a serious face.
Qin Hui was already familiar with this kind of tacit understanding between husband and wife after years of married life. When he saw this face, he shuddered in his heart.
"You damn coward! How dare you go to a brothel behind my back!" Wang Guixiang yelled, rushed over in two steps and slapped him hard in the face.
Qin Hui turned around on the spot, stars appeared in front of his eyes, and then he sat down.
Wang Guixiang pounced on him and tore and bit him, and as a result, Qin Hui, who had just been able to walk, lay in bed again.
Wu Ge and the other two returned to the Palace Front Office and took off their masks. Wu Ge threw the golden hairpin to the two guards and said, "Take it to the pawnshop and exchange it for some wine."
The two guards were overjoyed: "General?"
Wu Ge waved his hand and said, "I don't want it. Remember, if anyone knows what happened today, I will kill you two."
The two guards bowed and said, "As you command!"
Outside the south gate of the Bianjing Imperial Palace is a huge square. Various stones have been transported to this square, and Zhao Huan personally brought people to watch and inspect it.
Minister of Revenue Duan Xiaorong said, "Your Majesty, the inscription for the Yingde Stele has been drafted. Should we engrave it accordingly?"
Zhao Huan nodded and said, "Do as instructed. The progress of this project needs to be accelerated. I cannot let these soldiers lose heart in the underworld."
"As you wish!"
…
Purple Palace.
Zhao Huan stood up and said, "My dear ministers, you all saw it during this morning court session. I am planning to build a stone tablet outside this palace gate. It is a large stone tablet, five meters high. I will reward it to my ministers who have brought glory to the country."
The ministers below were all whispering, not understanding what the emperor meant for a moment.
Zhao Huan looked up at the sky. "Since I ascended the throne, I have vigorously advocated for resistance against the Jin. Countless soldiers have sacrificed their lives for our country, including Zhong Shidao, Zhong Shizhong, Yao Pingzhong, Nangong Wentian, Zhan Yunpeng, Shuangzishan... and many more whose names I remember and cannot. I will engrave the names of these heroes on this Yingde Monument. All descendants of the Great Song Dynasty will pay homage to them and pay homage to them during every sacrifice."
"Your Majesty!" Everyone knelt on the ground, tears of gratitude in their eyes.
Zhao Huan looked at the ministers below: "Kang Huojian, Wu Ge, Wang Zongchu, as well as Zheng Xian, Pan Bufeng, Fan Guangtu, and Wang Dabao."
Several people stood up and said: "I am here!"
"You, the few of you, and the soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect me during King Kang's rebellion, all have their names engraved on this plaque!"
"Your Majesty!" These people knelt down one after another, and Zheng Xian and others were in tears.
These individuals were high-ranking officials who valued reputation above all else. The Yingde Monument was destined to be recorded in history and passed down through the ages, so how could they not be grateful?
"Duan Xiaorong, how much does the Yingde Monument cost? If it's not enough, we can deduct it from the palace expenses."
Duan Xiaorong stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue has more than enough money for the Yingde Monument. It's just that a few households outside the palace are involved and they must be relocated."
Zhao Huan was shocked: Are there households being relocated? So he asked, "How many households are involved?"
Duan Xiaorong said: "Seventeen households."
Zhao Huan said, "Well, the court will resettle these seventeen households. We will choose a location, build houses for them, and provide additional subsidies. Remember, if the people don't want to move, we must not force them. I appoint you as the supervisor, responsible for the construction of the Yingde Monument."
"As you wish!"
These seventeen households live a few hundred meters outside the palace. If the Yingde Monument is built, one place will need to be relocated.
Unexpectedly, when the government went to mobilize these 17 families, most of them actually disagreed and would not do it no matter how much money they were offered.
Now it was Zhao Huan's turn to have a headache, so he summoned Duan Xiaorong to Wende Hall.
"Duan Xiaorong, I want to ask you why these people are unwilling to move?"
Duan Xiaorong bowed and said, "Your Majesty, these people have lived here for generations. They believe that being closer to the palace can help them absorb some of the dragon's energy. Plus, some people are homesick, and they wouldn't be used to moving from the place they've lived their whole lives."
"Is it not possible to pay?" Zhao Huan asked.
Duan Xiaorong shook his head. "Most people are willing to move, but seven households disagree. Four of these seven are ambivalent, so it should be okay if we motivate them. The remaining three simply won't agree no matter how hard I try to persuade them."
Zhao Huan was furious: "What if I demolish it by force?"
"Well, Your Majesty. I'm afraid someone might actually threaten to kill themselves. We built the Yingde Monument to commemorate the loyal and heroic and to reward meritorious officials. I'm afraid this isn't appropriate. If it's not possible, we should choose another location."
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