Chapter 143 (This appears to be a fragment of a larger text, possibly a title or heading. The phrase "偷梁换柱" is unclear and likely refers to a different topic. It's best left as is.)
After Meng Liniang's wedding, the New Year was fast approaching. There weren't many people in the family to begin with, and with Meng Liniang's marriage, there were even fewer. So, Liu Shi couldn't help but focus her attention on Meng Guanqi and Li Xiaoxiao.
After the imperial examinations are completed after the New Year, Meng Guanqi and Li Xiaoxiao's marriage should be put on the agenda, and preparations for the wedding should begin.
Now there's only one little boy left in the family, whom she spoils rotten. Even Liu knows that raising a child like this isn't good for him when he grows up, but whenever he does something wrong and looks at her pitifully with his big, bright eyes brimming with tears that are about to fall, she just can't bring herself to punish him.
If there were more children in the family, Rui Rui wouldn't be the only one being pampered. Liu was afraid that if Rui Rui was spoiled too much now, he would be difficult to teach when it was time for him to start his formal education.
But as the saying goes, "You can tell what a person will be like at three years old," and by the new year, Rui Rui would be almost three years old. Not only did Magistrate Meng not think highly of him, but even his very lenient mother, Liu, didn't think much of him either.
He's so mischievous! He can't sit still for a moment, but he has a lot of energy. Maybe he should consider pursuing a martial arts career in the future.
However, this was an exceptionally difficult path. Their family was originally a group of civil officials, a faction with a natural barrier to the military officials. If their child really wanted to take that path, they would have virtually no support...
Liu shook her head. "That's getting off topic. Right now, let's focus more on Meng Guanqi and Li Xiaoxiao's upcoming marriage."
They are not young anymore. Li Xiaoxiao is a year older than Meng Guanqi, and she is nineteen years old this year. According to the custom of Da Wu, she is already an old maid. But Li Xiaoxiao is very thick-skinned and keeps saying that she is still young and has not yet come of age.
However, it wasn't up to her to decide. Liu had already planned it out. Once Meng Guanqi passed the imperial examination and was granted an official position, they could get married right away, which would be a double celebration. So, they needed to pick a date in advance and see which days in the first half of the year were suitable for marriage. The imperial examinations were held in February and March, and the results would be announced in April. If they could get married in May, that would be even better.
If things go smoothly after their marriage, Xiaoxiao will get pregnant in June, and by March next year she will be able to hold her grandson or granddaughter. There will be another child in the family, and Ruirui will no longer be so lonely.
Liu was delighted with the thought, and took out the almanac to choose a date with Granny Qi.
The north wind howled, and as the end of the year approached, snowfall became more and more frequent. Water dripped outside and froze instantly. Meng Guanqi kept a close eye on the latest news from the court every day. The affected area in the north was gradually expanding, and urgent letters arrived in the capital every day requesting assistance. However, even the capital was covered by heavy snow every day. Even if Emperor Jian'an was willing to allocate funds for disaster relief, the relief supplies could hardly reach the affected areas.
The prices of firewood and charcoal have skyrocketed, and it is common to see people fighting over a bundle of firewood on the street. The frequency of cases in the capital has increased significantly recently, with eight out of ten cases involving the theft of firewood and charcoal.
Seeing others scrambling for firewood, Liu, driven by herd mentality, once asked Zhao Jian to buy more firewood to keep on hand. However, Zhao Jian went out and returned empty-handed, as he had no connections and couldn't buy any firewood at all.
Fortunately, when they first moved here, they had bought several thousand catties of firewood and charcoal through the Qi family's connections, which was enough for the people in the household for the time being. Now, even if they wanted to buy more, they couldn't.
With the year-end approaching, Liu brought Qi Hui's family back from the farm to reunite with Granny Qi. Qi Hui not only brought back the grain from the farm, but also more than a thousand catties of firewood, which surprised Liu.
Seeing the increasingly cold weather, Li Xiaoxiao intensified her physical training for Meng Guanqi, gradually removing his clothes during outdoor exercise until he was only wearing a single layer of clothing.
Liu and the others were extremely worried, fearing that Meng Guanqi would catch a cold, but miraculously he didn't. Meng Guanqi was sweating profusely outdoors in just a single layer of clothing, without feeling cold at all. He now had several more exercises to do. First, he did twenty-five pull-ups, then he did parallel bars to train his core strength. After finishing the parallel bars and horizontal bars, he started jumping rope, at least two thousand times. Finally, he threw an iron ball that Li Xiaoxiao had made for him, weighing about five pounds. A small sandpit was dug next to the iron ball, and he had to push the ball into the sandpit every day, alternating between his left and right hands, twenty times each time.
After completing a set of exercises, she would rest for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and then do it again. She exercised for no less than an hour every day. By the time the New Year passed and February arrived, Meng Guanqi's appearance had not changed much, but she had gained 15 kilograms.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Liu wouldn't have believed that her son had gained more than ten kilograms, and that his appearance hadn't changed at all, except that his mental state was better, and that the flesh on his body that was originally a little soft had all become firm.
The most surprising thing was that he was no longer so afraid of the cold. After the Lantern Festival, he even stopped heating the kang (a traditional heated bed) and slept wrapped in a quilt every day without feeling cold.
Meng Guanqi was delighted with the changes in himself and felt that with his current physical strength, it shouldn't be difficult for him to survive a spring examination.
February has passed, and the Spring Equinox has long gone by, but the capital city is still covered in ice and snow, with no sign of the snow melting.
At this time, the shortage of firewood for the people of the capital reached an unprecedented level. Before winter, everyone would prepare firewood in advance for the New Year. However, in previous years, the snow would begin to melt in February, and woodcutters could go into the mountains to cut firewood and fell trees. Moreover, the frozen canals would melt, and ships carrying charcoal and firewood to the north would set off from the south, bringing large amounts of firewood and charcoal into the capital. Therefore, the people could only stockpile enough firewood to burn in January, and then there would be no more.
Who knew that even though it's already February, the snow hasn't melted yet, and there are still occasional sleet showers. The weather is even colder than during the Lunar New Year. But every household is short of firewood, so the limited supply of firewood in the market is often snapped up, causing prices to skyrocket and supply to fall short of demand.
This matter has become a topic of constant discussion in the court recently. Everyone knows how to solve the firewood shortage, but it is not easy to do.
One solution is logging, but the heavy snow has blocked the roads and made travel inconvenient. The capital city is mostly flat terrain with no high mountains or rivers within a hundred miles. Even if we were to force our way into the mountains to cut down trees, it would be a drop in the ocean and not enough to solve the immediate problem.
The second method was to transport the firewood and charcoal from other places. To be honest, most of the firewood and charcoal sent to the capital came from other places. There are many famous mountains and rivers in the south, and there is no shortage of trees. However, the canal is frozen, and the boats carrying charcoal and firewood cannot enter the capital. The distant water cannot quench the immediate thirst. Emperor Jian'an felt bitter whenever he heard the court discussing this matter.
The solution proposed by the officials and businessmen was to widely conscript laborers to clear the snow from the official roads, repair and widen them, so that firewood and charcoal from other places could be transported smoothly into the capital.
But the weather was always uncooperative. The snow tracks that had just been cleared the day before were covered by heavy snow again the next day, causing great suffering to the laborers.
Emperor Jian'an had no choice but to extend the period of forced labor, which at least kept the official roads open and did not completely cut off the transportation of grain and firewood. Under such circumstances, price increases were inevitable. Between surviving and paying more money, people chose to survive.
However, there have been quite a few cases of fighting over firewood lately, and with the continuous heavy snow, Emperor Jian'an is so bothered that he can't even eat, and he even has blisters on his lips.
Liang Qisheng brought him some rock sugar pear tea to cool him down, but he waved his hand, telling him to leave and not bother people.
Not long after, Liang Qisheng returned: "Your Majesty, Vice Minister Wang of the Ministry of War requests an audience."
Emperor Jian'an was taken aback: "What is he doing here?" The morning court session had just ended, why didn't he say it in court?
Liang Qisheng said, "This servant does not know. Vice Minister Wang only said that he had important matters to discuss with His Majesty."
Emperor Jian'an said, "Let him in."
Liang Qisheng responded and went out. A short while later, Vice Minister Wang came in and greeted Emperor Jian'an.
Emperor Jian'an asked, "What do you want?"
Wang, the Vice Minister, said, “Recently, I have seen Your Majesty worrying every day about the shortage of firewood and charcoal in the capital. There is something on my mind that I do not know whether I should say or not. But this morning I saw bubbles on Your Majesty’s lips, and I was also burning with worry. I felt that if I continued to hide it, I would be ashamed to be a subject.”
Emperor Jian'an, seeing how serious he spoke of it, asked in surprise, "What is it?"
Wang Shilang said, "The supply of charcoal and firewood in the capital is insufficient, and the price in the market has skyrocketed. Moreover, with the continuous heavy snow every day, the people urgently need a large amount of charcoal and firewood to get through the winter."
Emperor Jian'an frowned: "Isn't this something that's been discussed in court every day? Why did you have to come all the way here to tell me?"
Wang, the Vice Minister, said, "But what if someone hoards goods and speculates, having a large quantity of charcoal and firewood but waiting for a higher price? What would Your Majesty do then?"
Emperor Jian'an frowned and said, "Naturally, we should act according to the law, punish those who engage in price gouging and market disruption, confiscate their illegal gains, and severely punish them!"
Wang, the Vice Minister, raised his head and looked at Emperor Jian'an: "If this person's identity is special, would Your Majesty still be able to persist as you are now?"
Is he of special status? Could he be a member of the royal family?
Emperor Jian'an asked in confusion, "Who are you referring to? The court is already in such dire straits; even if they are imperial relatives, I will certainly not let them off easily."
Wang, the Vice Minister, suddenly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive my innocence; otherwise, I would never dare to say another word."
Emperor Jian'an raised his hand: "I forgive you for your crime. Now tell me, which imperial relative made you afraid to speak?"
Wang, the Vice Minister, replied with piercing eyes, "Yes, Your Highness."
Emperor Jian'an suddenly fell silent.
The Crown Prince? How could it be the Crown Prince?
Emperor Jian'an knew that the Crown Prince had been thinking a lot more lately, but he did not believe that the Crown Prince was indifferent to the suffering of the common people. Moreover, the Crown Prince had also done a lot to ensure that the transportation channels in the capital were unobstructed. How could he possibly hoard goods and drive up prices?
Emperor Jian'an looked coldly at Minister Wang: "Do you know what the punishment is for falsely accusing the Crown Prince?"
Minister Wang clasped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, I would never dare to falsely accuse the Crown Prince. As early as November before the new year, Your Majesty had stockpiled at least 100,000 catties of charcoal in the imperial estates south of the capital. I originally thought that with the court in such dire straits and the people of the capital without wages, Your Majesty would sell them at a fair price… But the situation is already so urgent, yet Your Majesty has no intention of distributing wages. I really cannot understand what Your Majesty is planning to do. Is he really going to follow the example of those unscrupulous merchants in the market and inflate the price of charcoal to make a fortune from the national crisis?”
These words were extremely harsh, as if they had been slapped hard across Emperor Jian'an's face. His face quickly turned red with rage, and he slammed his hand on the desk: "Insolence! The Crown Prince's wisdom is evident to all in the court. How could he be the villain you speak of!"
Wang Shilang crawled forward on his knees and said, “Your Majesty, I know that Your Majesty is not in a good mood, but if I did not have solid evidence and had struggled for nearly ten days, I would never dare to say such a capital offense in front of Your Majesty. Please send someone to the Crown Prince’s estate in the southern suburbs of the capital. The guards there are very strict. Your Majesty can find out once you go there.”
Emperor Jian'an's face flushed red and then turned pale. The Crown Prince had actually hoarded over 100,000 catties of charcoal? Why would he hoard so much charcoal? And the capital was clearly so short of charcoal that they were holding meetings and arguing every day, so why hadn't he mentioned it at all? What was he planning to do?
If this charcoal was intended for the Crown Prince's use, there's no need for that. How many years would he expect to use 100,000 jin? He must have something to gain by secretly stockpiling so much charcoal.
But whatever his motives, could anything be more urgent than the dire straits of the people of the capital? Why didn't he offer to offer to prepare the charcoal himself? Even if he sold it at the current market price, 100,000 catties of charcoal would at least give the people of the capital a ten-day respite. By then, the snow might have melted, and firewood from the south could be transported over…
Emperor Jian'an sat on the dragon throne for a long time with a livid face before finally speaking in a deep voice: "Liang Qisheng."
Liang Qisheng trotted in: "Your Majesty."
Emperor Jian'an said, "Send two of your best men to the imperial estate south of the capital to investigate whether the Crown Prince has secretly hoarded 100,000 catties of charcoal. Do not alert his men."
Liang Qisheng's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "Yes."
Two days later, Liang Qisheng entered Emperor Jian'an's study in the evening: "Your Majesty, the people who went to investigate the imperial estates south of the capital have returned."
Emperor Jian'an asked, "What do you mean?"
Liang Qisheng said, "Indeed, there are no less than 100,000 charcoal pieces, and they are not ordinary charcoal. Although they are not as good as silver frost charcoal, they burn for a long time and produce less smoke. Moreover..."
Emperor Jian'an felt his anger rising to his heart: "Say what you have to say all at once, at least I haven't been driven to my death by him yet!"
Liang Qisheng said, "Moreover, according to the secret guards, the place is heavily guarded, and they were almost discovered."
Emperor Jian'an was breathing heavily through his nostrils.
Liang Qisheng quickly gestured to Rong Si to serve him a bowl of calming tea: "Your Majesty, why don't you summon the Crown Prince and ask him what he's going to do with all that charcoal? Just in case there's a misunderstanding—"
Rong Si had just carefully placed the tea in front of Emperor Jian'an when Emperor Jian'an swept it to the ground. He stood up and said sternly, "Misunderstanding?! What is there to misunderstand? Is this what a crown prince should do? He didn't even stand up to help the country when it was in trouble. What kind of wise ruler can you expect him to be in the future? It's utterly absurd!"
Liang Qisheng and Rong Si were so frightened that they fell to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
Emperor Jian'an roared, "Liang Qisheng, go and bring that beast in right now! I want him to be punished according to family law!"
Liang Qisheng dared not disobey and immediately got up. Just as he was about to run outside, Emperor Jian'an suddenly said, "Wait a moment—"
Liang Qisheng quickly turned around, bowed his head, and waited to receive the imperial decree.
Emperor Jian'an's eyes were deep: "Forget it, don't go. Let's wait a few more days. I'm very curious about what he's planning to do with all that charcoal he's hoarding."
The high price of charcoal is due to the unusually cold weather this year, which caught people off guard. But if it's cold in January and February, how can it not warm up in March?
Once the ice melts, what use will his 100,000 jin of charcoal be?
The Crown Prince's scheming is becoming more and more sophisticated, to the point that he can no longer see through him.
Emperor Jian'an disliked this feeling, and the more underhanded tricks he pulled in private, the more dissatisfied Emperor Jian'an became with him.
Why can't he just go along with everything he wants like before? How much longer does he have? Won't the whole world be his in the future? Why is he in such a hurry?
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince met with the guards stationed at the Imperial Estate: "Your Highness, the matter of the charcoal at the Imperial Estate has been discovered, and two groups of people have come to investigate."
Because there was simply too much charcoal, they couldn't possibly guard every corner.
The crown prince asked, "Do you know who they are?"
The guard said, "He is the Emperor's man."
The crown prince was taken aback, but a sense of relief flashed in his eyes, as if he had finally arrived.
He had been in great distress these past few days, and several times he had considered donating the charcoal, but he held back when he thought of the upcoming imperial examinations.
He waved for the guards to leave and called to Wan Quan, "Bring Pang Shi here."
Pang Shi arrived shortly afterward. The Crown Prince said, "The charcoal in the imperial estate in the southern suburbs has been discovered by the Emperor. If this is not handled properly, it could easily lead to an impeachment against me. You must personally lead a team to urge the Emperor to clear the road to the south within three days so that the firewood and charcoal from Jinzhou City can be delivered."
This will be an extremely difficult battle, and Pang Shi will have to personally oversee it; the task is no small feat.
Pang Shi was startled: "What?! What about His Highness's safety—"
He is the commander of the Imperial Guards, and his main duty is to protect the Crown Prince's safety. How can he leave?
The Crown Prince smiled slightly: "It's alright, I've found someone to take your place, so you can go ahead without worry."
Who in the Eastern Palace can replace him in his work?
Pang Shi frowned: "Which brat dares to replace me? Let's bring him out and test his skills."
The Crown Prince said, "Li Xiaoxiao."
Pang Shi was immediately stumped.
Well, if it's her, he has nothing to say.
However, Li Xiaoxiao was a very unconventional person, so he still reminded the Crown Prince to keep a low profile and not to get too close to the Emperor. The first time she met the Emperor, she had stabbed his son in the back of the heart with a poisoned arrow right in front of him, almost piercing him through.
The Crown Prince said, "Don't worry, with me here, she will be fine."
Pang Shi made a special detour to Li Xiaoxiao's house to deliver the armor to her.
Li Xiaoxiao held the men's armor in surprise, her eyes wide: "He wants me to be his bodyguard for a few days? Why? Our young master has his exams coming up soon..."
Pang Shi said, "What does it have to do with you that your young master is taking the exam? If you don't go, he won't have to take it. Besides, it's just that you're temporarily filling in for me for a few days. He'll naturally come back once the road to the south is repaired."
Li smiled and asked, "How long will it take?"
Pang Shi said, "It will take three or four days if things go quickly, and five or six days if things go slowly. Don't worry, I will definitely get you back before your young master takes the exam."
That's more like it. However, Li Xiaoxiao asked in confusion, "There have been people shoveling snow on the roads to the south, and there's been firewood and charcoal for sale in the capital these days, though it's subject to purchase limits. The situation is much better now than when it was completely impossible to transport anything in. Why do you still need to go yourself?"
Pang Shi glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then whispered, "Also, let me tell your young master that the Emperor discovered the charcoal the Crown Prince prepared for the imperial examination candidates. His Highness said that if this matter isn't handled properly, it could easily lead to impeachment by the court officials. He ordered me to lead men to expedite the construction of the main road southward so that the large amount of firewood stranded in Jinzhou can be transported to the capital, relieving the capital's firewood shortage. Only then will this matter not be investigated..."
This was also the Crown Prince's intention; he wanted to keep it a secret from Meng Guanqi.
After saying this, he had no time to say more. In any case, if Meng Guanqi offered a suggestion, it would definitely be relayed to the Crown Prince through Li Xiaoxiao.
Li Xiaoxiao asked curiously, "How did His Majesty suddenly discover that the Crown Prince had hoarded charcoal? How did he know?"
Pang Shi said, "His Highness didn't mention this, so I don't have time to talk to you. I'm leaving right away. Pack your things for the next few days. Rong Si will come out to pick you up later today."
Without waiting for her reply, he mounted his horse and rode away, followed by more than twenty soldiers.
Li Xiaoxiao carried the clothes back to the inner courtyard and told them that she was going to the palace to cover for Pang Shi for a few days.
Meng Guanqi put down his book, his brows furrowing. His question was exactly the same as Li Xiaoxiao's: "The Emperor suddenly discovered that the Crown Prince had hoarded charcoal? Who told him?"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "Pang Shi didn't say, and I guess the Crown Prince doesn't know either. But as the Crown Prince, he could have helped the people of the capital when they needed charcoal the most, but he didn't. If this gets out, it'll probably be a real problem for him."
Meng Guanqi said, "It's not that simple. The Crown Prince hoarded charcoal back in November. If the Emperor wanted to find out, he would have found out long ago. He didn't even ask the Crown Prince to release the charcoal when it was most scarce recently. Obviously, the Emperor was unaware that the Crown Prince had charcoal. He suddenly found out just before the spring imperial examination. Clearly, someone deliberately chose this time to tell him."
Li Xiaoxiao's heart skipped a beat: "The Crown Prince is the chief examiner of the imperial examination! He said this at this time to get the Emperor to remove the Crown Prince from his position as chief examiner! How disgusting!"
Meng Guanqi nodded: "Indeed, it is impossible to guard against, which is why the Crown Prince was so anxious to send Pang Shi out to open up the road to the south within three days and transport the stranded firewood and charcoal in. Only when a large amount of firewood and charcoal enters the capital and relieves the urgent needs of the people in the capital can this crisis be considered over. The Crown Prince's reaction this time was not slow. It is not easy to come up with this plan in such a short time."
Moreover, the Crown Prince should pray that the weather suddenly warms up on February 19th, so that he will not need any of the charcoal he has prepared. Otherwise, if it is discovered that he has hoarded charcoal but has not taken it out, it will greatly affect his reputation.
He looked up at the weather again. It was already the sixth day of the second lunar month, and there were only thirteen days left until the exam. Why was there still no sign of the temperature rising?
If the Crown Prince doesn't rush to transport a large quantity of firewood and charcoal to the capital within a few days, then it might be better if this batch of charcoal never gets out.
Otherwise, how could he explain to the people that in his heart, the lives of the candidates were more important than the lives of ordinary people?
The Crown Prince's reputation for wisdom and virtue is in danger of collapsing.
He paced back and forth in the room, wondering how he could get past the Crown Prince's hurdle and perfectly avoid impeachment.
Who exactly deliberately chose this moment to tell Emperor Jian'an this matter, catching the Crown Prince off guard?
Could it be that the Sixth Prince's power has risen to prominence? I heard that Emperor Jian'an once wanted to use the pretext of ancestor worship to have a family reunion during the New Year and take the opportunity to release the Sixth Prince, but the Crown Prince stopped him.
So the people behind him couldn't hide any longer and started making their moves.
The goal was to bring down the Crown Prince, or to seize a weakness of the Crown Prince and force him to agree to release the Sixth Prince.
He paused, then a plan immediately came to mind: "Smile!"
Li Xiaoxiao was gesturing to the cool armor when he suddenly called her so loudly, and she was startled: "What's wrong?"
Meng Guanqi's eyes lit up: "When you enter the palace, tell the Crown Prince that he must make Pang Shi expedite the clearing of the road to Jinzhou. But if it cannot be cleared within three days, he must also release the news that the road to Jinzhou has been cleared. Then send people to transport all the charcoal from the imperial estate to the capital to sell."
Li Xiaoxiao exclaimed in surprise, "Then he just hoarded it for nothing? This charcoal is meant for the scholars to use."
Meng Guanqi said, "It's not like he hoarded it for nothing. He transported 100,000 catties of charcoal from the imperial estate to the capital under the name of Jinzhou. After the road was fully repaired, he replaced it with charcoal that actually came from Jinzhou. He created a time difference between the two, which not only quickly solved the capital's charcoal shortage, but also secretly replaced all the charcoal. If the weather is still this cold when the spring examination is held, and the policy of subsidizing the candidates with charcoal and firewood is mentioned again, then the charcoal in the imperial estate will no longer be the charcoal that was hoarded in November, but the charcoal that was just purchased from Jinzhou. The charcoal hoarded by the Crown Prince will then be completely whitewashed."
Seeing that he had come up with such a plan in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Li Xiaoxiao couldn't help but click her tongue and shake her head: "You treacherous minister!"
That's a really clever way to use the substitution technique.
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