After court, Liu Jiaci went to the city gate, where Chengcheng had arranged for the Imperial Guards to escort him to the gold mine. It was his first time going to a gold mine in his life, and even though he had handled so much silver before, he felt the excitement of a young woman getting into a bridal sedan chair for the first time.
With the events at the Jing'an Marquis's residence concluded, a thunderstorm swept through the capital. The rain fell intermittently for half a month, making the already hot weather even more humid, driving everyone to the brink of exasperation.
Song Yaozhu felt that her hair had never been completely dry in the past two weeks, and there was always a layer of water on her scalp, not only on her head but also on her clothes.
"I wonder when the weather will clear up." Granny Qin sighed as she stood under the eaves.
Because of the heavy rain, Xie Liwei was unemployed at home and spent his days playing with his children.
"Look at me, I'm doing pretty well as a seventh-rank official. I can still go to work on rainy days like this. If I were a fifth-rank official or above, I really couldn't stand having to go out on days like this."
Seeing his disdain, Song Yaozhu thought to herself, "You've been looking at Liu Jiaci's scarlet official robes just as much every time you see them."
"Granny, please prepare some light dishes tonight. I really have no appetite because of this rain. Also, cut up some chilled watermelon."
"You can only eat a small piece of watermelon, and it can't be chilled," Granny Qin said sternly. "You've only been out of confinement for a short time! You can't indulge in cold things!"
Song Yaozhu stuck out her tongue, but still obediently listened to her.
Being managed by someone is actually quite nice; it gives you a feeling of being cared for, even if the other person is a bit nagging, it's a sweet burden.
By the time the rain stopped, it was already early July. The sun had dried up the earth, and people began to panic, wondering if this year would be like last year, with a drought.
It was at this time that a rumor suddenly spread among the people, saying that the reason why the Great Chen Dynasty was having a bad year was because the emperor had not yet established an empress.
Because the Great Chen Dynasty never had an empress, the country's fortunes were dominated by yang energy and weakened by yin energy. In the first few years, the yin energy was still sufficient to sustain the nation, but in recent years, the yin energy has been completely depleted, which has led to a series of disasters.
If the emperor wants to consolidate the rule of the Great Chen Dynasty, he still needs to establish an empress!
Such a claim quickly spread among the people, and not only did ordinary people believe it to be true, but even court officials petitioned the emperor to establish an empress.
Yuwen Wuji didn't look at the memorials for the time being; he was busy appointing someone to go to Jiangzhou to redistribute the land.
King Xuan brought Shen Qingque into the palace and handed the final draft to Yuwen Wuji. Yuwen Wuji read the article and remained silent.
Compared to the fiery first draft submitted by Zhou Shiren, this final draft was much gentler. This was true not only in its language but also in its various approaches to handling matters.
"If this article was written by you, why didn't you inform me of it from the beginning?"
"Your Majesty, at first I intended to wait for Zhou Shiren to confess his crimes in person, but he suddenly died. I have no one to hold accountable, and I also realized that this article was too intense and would probably arouse too much envy. Therefore, I have not dared to come forward."
I have been pondering this at home, weighing the options between serving the country and protecting myself. I still believe I should do my best to help!
Yuwen Wuji did not respond to him, but looked at Prince Xuan and said, "You've certainly found a son-in-law who is both talented and handsome."
King Xuan chuckled and said, "Isn't this all thanks to my elder brother's good judgment in finding such a good marriage for my daughter?"
Yuwen Wuji's original intention was to subtly criticize him for having ulterior motives, but he didn't expect to be flattered, which made him feel a little embarrassed.
Then, he forced a smile and said, "Given Zhou Shiren's case, it's clear this matter shouldn't be publicized too much. I'm granting you the Imperial Sword and a squad of Imperial Guards. You might be able to go south to purge the officials of Jiangzhou and Zhiyunzhou and redistribute the land?"
Shen Qingque's heart pounded. He immediately prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowed, and said, "Your subject will certainly not fail in his mission!"
After leaving the palace, Shen Qingque secretly led a team of thirty people to Jiangzhou.
Although this matter is kept secret, those who are interested will find out about it soon enough.
After receiving the news, Wang Xuan took a deep breath and immediately had someone relay the matter to the other elders.
Since Prince Yong became paralyzed, the Zhai family has remained silent. Wang Xuan found the Zhai family's current attitude intriguing, so he ordered his men to keep a close eye on them.
"This matter needs to be considered carefully."
"If we continue to plan ahead, we'll be wiped out in one fell swoop!"
"......"
"Let's kill Shen Qingque first."
"Heh, the Shen family may not be a tough nut to crack, but his father-in-law is Prince Xuan. He's been in charge of the Dali Temple for so many years, do you think he wouldn't have found any clues about us?"
"You're just boosting their morale. Why don't you kill him now, or are you going to let him come back for the New Year and wipe us all out?"
The heads of several long-established families gathered together, chatting amongst themselves.
Finally, Wang Xuan spoke up, saying, "Killing Shen Qingque is only treating the symptoms, not the root cause."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone understood what he wanted to say.
Now that the canal from Jiangzhou to Yunzhou has been completed and the water from Jiangzhou has been diverted downstream, the heavy rain that lasted for half a month in June did not cause any flooding in Jiangzhou, which shows the success of the canal.
Currently, wharves are under construction in various cities along the canal. Once the canal is open to navigation, connecting the north and south, the prosperity it will bring is almost unimaginable.
In Zhou Shiren's article, he wrote that once the north and south were connected, southern silk, porcelain, tea, and other goods could be transported to the north, and southerners should prioritize trade. Southern farmland could be restored to the military-agricultural system established at the beginning of the Great Chen Dynasty, where most farmland belonged to the imperial court, which would have the army or hire people to cultivate it. A small portion of the land would remain in the hands of farmers.
Once this policy is implemented, it means that the land that aristocratic families have painstakingly acquired over the years will become worthless, and there is even a risk that the emperor will bring up old grievances against them.
What they need to do now is not to kill an imperial envoy who is on a mission to Jiangzhou, but to replace him with an emperor who will not implement the military-agricultural system.
After all, if one imperial envoy dies, there are countless others who can replace him, but the emperor is not so easy to deal with.
"Gentlemen, do you have confidence that we can create a future together?"
Several family leaders, all over fifty, fell silent for a moment. One of them, just to be on the safe side, said, "How about we send someone to assassinate Shen Qingque first? After all, Zhou Shiren is dead, and if Shen Qingque dies too, maybe we'll just have to put the matter on hold?"
Wang Xuan looked at the person who spoke and curled his lips in disdain.
"Go ahead and try if you want, but I won't put in the effort."
The man blushed with embarrassment at Wang Xuan's words, sneered, and said, "I'll do it myself then. If I succeed, you'll all benefit from my success!"
After saying that, he turned and left.
The others also harbored a gamble, wanting to see what would happen after assassinating Shen Qingque. After all, slaying a dragon was too risky; they were people who bore the lives of hundreds of their families, and they couldn't just take such a big risk.
"We'll see!"
Wang Xuan said calmly.
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