Chapter 72: Riots in Guizhou
Murong Yu was greatly pleased with the tribute of ink from Xunzhou.
The next day when he went to court, Murong Yu praised him personally in front of many ministers:
"Xunzhou Black Mountain Ink is far superior to Song's Pine Smoke Ink."
"Xunzhou Governor Gu Jing governs the state wisely, and the people are diligent. I will give him and the ink-making villages one hundred taels of gold, and I will also exempt the people of Xunzhou from taxes for one year."
After Murong Yu finished speaking, he gave the Black Mountain Ink to the nobles and important officials.
The ministers expressed their gratitude repeatedly.
The one who thanked most exaggeratedly was He Tingfang.
He Tingfang held the ink in his hands and knelt down to express his gratitude:
"Thanks to the reign of His Majesty, all people in the world have been blessed with His Majesty's grace, which has enabled us to create such exquisite items."
This sounds fake.
But lies are the most pleasant to hear and the most popular.
Murong Yu was pleased with what he heard and rewarded He Tingfang with a hu ink tablet.
He Tingfang knelt again to thank the emperor for his grace.
When he stood up, his face was frozen with smile.
He looked excited.
In fact, I was really excited.
I was so excited that I couldn't control myself and wanted to curse!
Who among his ancestors would come up with a batch of Mo Gong at this time? It would ruin his business!
The Black Mountain ink in his hand was indeed very good, but he already had a lot of Song's pine soot ink in his home.
He Tingfang did not have an obsessive pursuit of ink, but he did have an obsession with gold and silver.
After the Song family fell, the price of ink rose. He Tingfang deliberately asked his subordinates to stockpile a lot of high-quality pine soot ink in order to drive up the price of ink on the market.
When the price of ink reached an incredible level, he would sell off his stock in batches.
But now the sudden appearance of Black Mountain Mo disrupted his plans.
If Black Mountain ink flows into the market in large quantities and the price of ink returns to stability, then all his work will be in vain.
He Tingfang was already thinking about how to prevent the Lingnan caravans from entering Chang'an.
I don’t know if there really is a god above my head who can hear what He Tingfang is thinking.
When the atmosphere in the palace was harmonious, an urgent report suddenly came into the palace.
"Your Majesty! There's a riot going on in Qianzhong Road!"
A scout in armor came rushing in, his dusty boots stepping on the mirror-smooth gold bricks.
A few dirty footprints suddenly appeared on the ground.
The compliments stopped abruptly.
All the civil and military officials in the hall fell silent, their eyes all focused on the messenger.
The scout was covered in dirt, with black blood stains on his armor and clothes, and he also smelled foul.
Someone wrinkled his nose and silently stepped back a little.
Murong Yu's face was as gloomy as the gathering wind and rain:
"explain."
"Your Majesty, the people of Qianzhou, Jinzhou, Chenzhou, and Shizhou in the Qianzhong Road are rioting. Many officers and soldiers are also rebellious. They refuse to be controlled by local officials and have turned against them, resulting in the brutal massacre of local officials!"
The scout presented a letter with both hands.
Eunuch Wang took the letter and handed it to the emperor.
Murong Yu read the letter quickly, his expression becoming increasingly grim.
The letter was a request for help from a local official, which mentioned that the people of Qianzhou had first rioted and killed the county magistrate.
Later, unruly people in several other states responded to the rebellion, and even many officers and soldiers defected and refused to obey orders. This rebellion even included people from the underworld, making the situation even more chaotic.
The situation in Qianzhong area is currently in chaos.
If the situation is not brought under control soon, the rebellious people may go north and bring disaster to more counties and prefectures.
Bang--!
"These troublemakers are so brave!"
Murong Yu slammed the letter on the imperial desk, and the veins on the back of his hand became visible:
"I hereby order the Left Guard General Yuan Chi to lead 50,000 elite troops south to quell the rebellion. Anyone who obstructs the army's advance or delays the opportunity to fight will be severely punished!
Minister of War Qin Xiao stood up:
"Your Majesty, I have something to say."
Qin Xiao is seventy years old, his hair and beard are all gray, but he still speaks with energy.
Every year everyone thought that he would resign from his official position to enjoy his retirement and go home to play with his great-grandchildren, but he just refused.
"The people of Qianzhong have always been peaceful, but now they are suddenly in turmoil, and the reason is unknown. It would be better to send people to pacify them first, and then decide based on the situation."
Murong Yu's gaze fell on Qin Xiao, and there was already displeasure between his brows.
Apart from Song Yan who cursed him when he was drunk last time, no one in the court had disobeyed his wishes to his face for a long time.
He Tingfang understood Murong Yu's expression and stood up and said:
"Your Majesty, I disagree with what Minister Qin said."
"The Emperor is Heaven to his subjects, and the common people are ordinary people. How can ordinary people go against Heaven's will and rebel against the Emperor?
Even if they have hidden grievances, they can appeal to the local officials, but how can they rashly resort to violence and rebel? If we appease them this time and do not make an example of them, then the people of other places will use this as an excuse to cause trouble, kill officials, and rebel, and then wait for the court to forgive them.
As soon as He Tingfang said this, many people followed him and echoed:
"What the Minister of the Central Secretariat said is absolutely right."
"If we forgive and appease people just because they have hidden secrets, then won't everyone in the people be able to rebel?"
"How can the Emperor govern the world?"
Qin Xiao glared at He Tingfang and the others:
"You guys aren't the ones fighting the war. You're just good at talking."
"Hey, how do you talk like that, Minister Qin?"
"We are offering advice on state affairs, how can we just talk?"
There was a lot of discussion in the court.
Murong Yu frowned and spoke slowly:
"Minister Qin, I always thought you were strong and healthy despite your age. Today I realize that you are indeed old."
"Your Majesty..." Qin Xiao wanted to persuade him again.
Murong Yu waved his hand:
"I have made up my mind. Three days from now, the Left Guard will march south to quell the rebellion."
"As for Minister Qin, since he is already old, he should go home and recuperate as soon as possible."
Qin Xiao knelt down: "This old minister... obeys your order."
He was not very surprised, as he knew this day would come sooner or later.
But when this day came, he couldn't help but feel some sadness and anger in his eyes.
Dayu can do without the Pei family, the Song family, and Qin Xiao, but she cannot do without the people's support.
If this continues, how can we talk about prosperity?
…………
Suburbs of Beijing.
Ciguang Temple.
Master Mingdeng is meditating under the lamp.
The young monk was beating a wooden fish beside him.
The light will cast two round shadows on the wall.
One big and one small, both are very fat.
Master Mingdeng was very famous and highly respected in the area around Chang'an.
Before meeting him, many people thought he would be a thin old monk with white hair and beard.
When I met him, I found that Master Mingdeng was very plump and looked like Maitreya Buddha.
The little monk next to him named Wuzhen also looks like a chubby and round little Maitreya Buddha.
The master and disciple sat together, feeling inexplicably festive.
There was a sound of raindrops outside the window.
The sound of the little monk's wooden fish became faster and faster along with the sound of raindrops.
"Wuzhen," Master Mingdeng called out, "You're distracted."
Wuzhen scratched his head and said, "Master, I forgot what I was reciting halfway through."
Master Mingdeng closed his eyes and said, "That's because you have doubts in your heart."
Wuzhen nodded his round head:
"Master, I have many doubts."
"Some time ago, a noble lady came to stay in the temple because she was suffering from nightmares. It was clearly her own evil deeds that caused the resentment. Why did Master still help her?"
Master Mingdeng's face was very peaceful, but the shadow of the lamplight cast a hint of compassion on his face.
It turns out that when Maitreya Buddha doesn't smile, he looks even sadder than the present Buddha and the Buddha of the previous life.
"Master is not helping her, nor can he help her. If she harbors demons and commits sin again, even the amulet of peace will not be able to protect her."
"Then why did Master give her the amulet?"
"The amulet cannot protect the safety of evildoers, but the money she donated to our temple can be used to prepare a lot of vegetarian meals and help many people who are suffering."
Ciguang Temple prepares free vegetarian meals every month and distributes them to poor people nearby, while also promoting Buddhism.
The money used to prepare vegetarian meals is mostly from incense money donated by donors.
In front of the lights in the hall, there is a huge gilded statue of Buddha.
The Buddha's eyes are huge and full of compassion.
Wuzhen looked up into the Buddha's eyes:
"Master, I heard from the pilgrims who came up the mountain today that there is a riot in Guizhou. The situation is very chaotic. The people there may be suffering."
"Master, the Buddha is so compassionate, why doesn't he save all living beings from suffering?"
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