Chapter 126: Northwest Seeking Military Uniforms
Almost a month had passed when Governor Gu's memorial was delivered to the imperial desk in the palace.
Emperor Murong Yu held a cinnabar pen in one hand and a memorial paper in the other, reading ten lines at a glance.
The memorial he was reviewing was not from Governor Gu, but the one written by Murong Di.
The handwriting is crooked and ugly.
Not only was his handwriting ugly, but he also kept complaining in the memorial about how he met a bad guy on the road and was almost left homeless, which scared him to death.
Murong Yu felt disgusted when he looked at it.
It's so strange that something bad could happen when I was on such a simple errand. I just encountered some bandits and wasn't hurt, but I was so scared.
Murong Yu frowned and wrote on the memorial.
He told Murong Di to stay in Lingnan for a while and get the reward and inspection done, so as not to bring shame to the royal family. If he couldn't even handle such a small matter, then he shouldn't return to the capital.
In addition, he also told Murong Di not to write memorials by hand in the future. If his handwriting was ugly, he should find someone with good handwriting to write for him. He should not put his ugly handwriting in front of the imperial desk and embarrass himself.
"Your Majesty, Secretary He has arrived." Eunuch Wang came in and reported quietly.
Murong Yu picked up the next letter without looking up: "Let him in."
He Tingfang came in and bowed:
"Your humble servant greets His Majesty. I wonder what the Emperor wants me to do?"
Murong Yu still didn't look at He Tingfang:
"It's nothing serious. I just heard that my seventh brother and his wife are having some trouble. It's not a big deal for a couple to quarrel behind closed doors, but they should remember what to say and what not to say."
The news of the discord between Prince Gong Murong Xun and Princess He Yan reached Murong Yu's ears.
The sentence "Why don't you dare to disobey the order? No matter who you marry, you can't protect her" was also passed on intactly.
Murong Yu didn't care about the relationship between Murong Xun and his wife, but there were some things he didn't want to hear mentioned.
Murong Yu called He Tingfang over and scolded him:
"I heard that my sister-in-law is still living in the He family. My dear He, when you are busy with official duties, you should give more advice to the younger generation in the family."
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. I was negligent in educating my daughter. When I return, I will definitely have my daughter return to the palace to apologize to Prince Gong."
He Tingfang's heart sank.
It was not because of the emperor's warning to him, but because the emperor had not yet withdrawn the spies left in Prince Gong's mansion.
Pei Xuan is dead, and Murong Xun is just an idle prince, but the emperor has not completely let down his guard against him.
"Your Excellency He, you are too kind. This is just a family matter, so I won't talk about it anymore."
Only then did Murong Yu look up at He Tingfang, with a smile on his face, looking like a friendly emperor.
He looked at the other book in his hand:
"Although Lingnan has seen some improvement, it is still somewhat chaotic, with thieves and criminals lurking everywhere. Even the perpetrator of the Qi family case in Yangzhou was hiding in Lingnan."
The moment He Tingfang heard about the Qi family case in Yangzhou, the fingers on his sleeves suddenly curled up and he made a perfect expression on his face.
He frowned and recalled, then said suddenly:
"Is it the case from ten years ago? The murderer was caught?"
Murong Yu signaled Wang Nei Shi to hand the memorial written by Governor Gu to He Tingfang.
He Tingfang took it respectfully with both hands and quickly glanced over the black words on the paper.
His face was calm, with a hint of relief between his brows.
But only he himself knew that at this moment he wished he could rush back to the mansion immediately and destroy the mother Gu of the Styx water.
He knew more about the Qi family case in Yangzhou ten years ago than anyone else.
His private salt trade in Yangzhou was discovered by the Qi family.
The Qi family even accidentally learned that the people in charge of this huge private salt trade were He Tingfang and Fu Qian.
He Tingfang wanted to win over the Qi family at that time, but after the Qi family agreed on the surface, they secretly planned to report He Tingfang and Fu Qian.
He Tingfang sent his trusted assassin Minghe Mingshui and others to kill the head of the Qi family.
Minghe Mingshui originally only planned to kill the head of the family and his wife, but on the night of the action, the young grandson of the Qi family cried so much that it alarmed many people.
The Hades River and the Hades Water simply wiped out the entire family.
The incident was so serious that He Tingfang severely punished his subordinates and asked them to hide for a while to avoid the limelight.
Ten years have passed, and He Tingfang never expected that Minghe Mingshui would get caught in this matter.
He Tingfang took another look at the signature on the memorial: Xunzhou Governor Gu Jing.
Gu Jing, this stubborn old man, had been at odds with him since they were in Chang'an.
The reason they tried to transfer Gu Jing to Lingnan was to squeeze him out and throw him far away so that he wouldn't ruin their plans.
But after being squeezed to Lingnan, this guy was able to ruin his own business.
He Tingfang now understood why he felt something was wrong with Lingnan.
Because he threw those people whom he wanted to squeeze out and whom he hated to remote places such as Lingnan, Qiongzhou and Tingzhou, these people would continue to oppose him even if they were in remote places.
"What do you think, Mr. He?"
While He Tingfang was reading the memorial, Murong Yu was observing He Tingfang's expression.
Seeing that He Tingfang had no change in expression, Murong Yu continued to open the next memorial.
He Tingfang closed the letter in his hand and said:
"The murderer was captured because the Emperor governs the country wisely and enjoys great fortune. With a wise ruler like the Emperor, the people of the world can enjoy a peaceful world."
Murong Yu neither denied nor confirmed, but just laughed briefly.
The smile on his face froze before it could fully bloom.
He slapped the memorial on the table and said, pursing his lips:
"It's only early summer, and Xue Yucheng has already submitted a memorial urging me to issue winter clothing to the soldiers. Could it be that he's worried that the court can't afford winter clothing for the soldiers in the northwest?"
Murong Yu's hand, wearing a gold and jade ring, covered the memorial from the northwest.
In his memorial, Xue Yucheng repeatedly pleaded with the court to deliver this year's winter military uniforms in advance, saying that the military supplies were delivered too late last year and some soldiers almost could not survive the wind and snow in the northwest.
Locals who understand astronomy say that this winter in Tingzhou will be colder than usual, and will come earlier, requiring thicker and warmer military uniforms.
If the court had not sent cotton clothes earlier, the heavy snow might have blocked the roads and the supplies would have been unable to be delivered.
This is not the first time that Xue Yucheng has submitted a memorial on this matter this year. Murong Yu did not approve the previous two times.
Xue Yucheng submitted a memorial for the third time, and his words were more urgent and fierce than the previous two. Between the lines, he subtly accused the court of improper transportation of supplies and false fabrics last year.
Murong Yu knew that Xue Yucheng was telling the truth, and he also remembered that he was indeed late in sending winter clothes to the soldiers in the northwest last year.
After all, there was not enough cloth last year, and the Qianzhong Dao even submitted a memorial requesting cloth, so the court could only barely make winter clothes for the soldiers in the northwest.
But because of this, Murong Yu became even angrier, feeling as if someone was picking on his faults and blaming him:
"That Xue Yucheng is saying it lightly, but how can he easily raise large quantities of winter clothing and food every year? There's been no war in the northwest these past two years, yet they consume a lot every year. He still has the nerve to submit a memorial demanding winter clothing."
Even He Tingfang was secretly dissatisfied with these words:
Who doesn't spend a lot to maintain an army? If there were wars every year, the costs would be much higher than this. I'm afraid the treasury would have been empty long ago.
"Your Majesty, I do have a plan."
He Tingfang looked at the memorial from Lingnan in his hand.
"Northwest military needs cannot be delayed, and the imperial court cannot rush to produce so many silk and cotton winter clothes. Last year, when the Black Mountain cloth from Lingnan was sent to Qianzhong, the people responded well. Why not let Lingnan rush to produce winter clothes for the northwest this year and send them directly to the northwest after they are completed."
Murong Yu frowned: "Can Lingnan quickly produce the clothes needed by tens of thousands of soldiers?"
He Tingfang stepped forward and said, "Xunzhou Governor Gu Jing is a very responsible person. Entrusting him with this matter will be safe. Moreover, the King of Yue is in charge of the supervision in Lingnan. If Gu Jing neglects this matter, he should be severely punished. This will also serve as a warning to other officials in Lingnan, forcing them to fulfill their duties and not slack off."
Wang, the eunuch who was silently pouring tea beside the emperor, twitched his eye when he heard this, and he felt it was cruel.
To assign such a big task to a remote place like Lingnan, and to let the governor of Xunzhou be in charge of military uniforms, he will be punished if he fails to do his job well.
Where can I find justice?
But Murong Yu agreed.
Xue Yucheng said that last year's winter clothes were not good, so someone else would prepare them this year.
If Lingnan performs well, it will be the credit of the court; if Lingnan does not perform as well as last year, it will also make Xue Yucheng and his gang realize how good the military uniforms provided by the court were in the past.
"Well, my dear, your suggestion is very good."
Murong Yu moved his wrist slightly and wrote a reply on the memorial with cinnabar.
The early summer light fell on the memorial, and the crimson cinnabar was as red as a bunch of marigolds that had suddenly bloomed.
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