Chapter 79 The Spreading-the-Money Maiden Arrives in Kyoto...
Zong Suyi called the peach he ate "impure," but little did he know that the peaches Lu You presented to Emperor Chengtai were the ones that truly deserved the title of "impure."
It lay small in the box, dry and hard as stone, with specks of bluish mold hanging on the edges, making it impossible to recognize its original appearance.
When the letter and a box of peaches arrived by express courier, it was already past midnight. Emperor Chengtai was lying in bed having a deep conversation with a palace attendant. Her good time had been interrupted, and she was extremely displeased.
Emperor Chengtai leaned against the small couch, her clothes disheveled, revealing red marks on her collarbone from the scratches inflicted by the palace servants. She lowered her eyelids, glancing indifferently at the filth held aloft by the maid, and exhaled heavily from her nostrils.
She gave a forced smile and said, "Making such a fuss in the middle of the night, did the General who banged her head against the wall just to show me such filth?" A cold glint flashed in her eyes. "It seems she thinks Taizhou Prefecture is not good enough and wants to test whether the walls on the frontier are strong enough."
The head palace maid stood to one side, secretly glancing at Emperor Chengtai's neck, and clicked her tongue in disapproval.
Oh dear! Such a young child, so ignorant! Look what he's done to His Majesty!
She chuckled twice with a shameless grin, "Your Majesty, there's another memorial."
"Read it." Emperor Chengtai closed his eyes and moved his lips.
The head palace maid smiled broadly and said, "Yes, Your Majesty." She then picked up the memorial and read it word by word: "Your humble servant respectfully reports: Drought is rampant, and the people are suffering..." This part was still normal, as there had been a severe drought in recent years, and everyone was having a hard time. But the next sentence made her pale with fright, and she dared not utter it.
Emperor Chengtai rested with his hands on his chest, but couldn't hear the second half of the speech. He asked wearily, "What? What did General Banging the Wall say? Did he call me incompetent again?" He really was like a newborn calf that didn't fear a tiger, recklessly charging ahead with all his might.
The head palace maid's face drained of color, and she stammered, "No, no..." She clearly knew the king she served very well, and immediately knelt down with a thud.
Emperor Chengtai keenly sensed something unusual and was about to open his eyes when he heard a very cautious voice: "Your Majesty, it is said that Zhangzhou Prefecture is about to rebel!"
Her pupils constricted to pinpoints, her languid expression vanished instantly, and she sat up abruptly, veins bulging on her forehead, roaring, "What are you saying?!" Her voice was like the roar of a tiger, threatening to shatter everything in the world, causing all the palace maids in the hall to kneel on the ground in terror.
Eight years ago, at the beginning of Emperor Chengtai's reign, before his imperial power was secure, an unprecedented rebellion broke out in Zhangzhou Prefecture. The entire imperial clan believed this was an ominous sign that she was unworthy of the throne, and even secretly discussed installing a new emperor. Clearly, it was the late emperor's legacy of deep-seated problems that she was being made a scapegoat!
Now that she holds absolute power and is no longer the puppet emperor who had to be subservient to her ministers, she has encountered a drought that is the worst in a century, and another rebellion has broken out. Isn't this just telling the world that she has offended Heaven?!
Emperor Chengtai's eyes were sharp as knives. He snatched the memorial from the head palace maid's hand and glared at it as he examined it one by one.
After reading it, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief; there were only a little over a thousand refugees.
He gently kicked the steward on the ground. "Look how scared you are. Get up."
But then she thought of the empty granaries, which had led to a popular riot, and her brow furrowed, her temples throbbing. These corrupt officials had embezzled her money and yet they had caused such a mess!
The steward covered his face, tears streaming down his face, and got up.
Emperor Chengtai glanced at her and said, "Why are you crying? I didn't cry even though such a big mess has happened."
"This servant is weeping for Your Majesty," the head eunuch choked out, his voice filled with worry and fear.
"To weep for me?"
With red eyes, the chief steward said sorrowfully, "Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has worked tirelessly day and night, never neglecting state affairs. These officials, instead of sharing your burdens, have only caused you trouble!"
Emperor Chengtai sighed and patted her shoulder: "Xu Qiu, you are very thoughtful."
Xu Qiu pulled her sleeve to wipe away her tears, sniffed, and said with emotion, "Fortunately, Lord Lu is a good man. Even though he is far away in Taizhou Prefecture, he still remembers to share your burdens."
"If it weren't for Lord Lu's memorial, you would still be in the dark!"
Emperor Chengtai nodded in agreement and laughed, "This General of mine, with his audacity, dared to point his finger at me and curse a tyrant in court. But fortunately, he is upright and truly loyal." But the next moment, her brows furrowed and she sighed, "But how could he be a disciple of that traitor Zheng?"
Dr. Zheng was a crony and fellow townsman of Zong Xuanyue. Emperor Chengtai hated and loathed Zong Xuanyue to the extreme and would never allow such people to appear in the court again.
Xu Qiu's eyes flashed, but she quickly composed herself and sighed calmly, "Speaking of which, since Dr. Zheng has hanged himself, Lord Lu should be able to find another renowned teacher."
Emperor Chengtai thought about it again and realized it was true. With the person gone, how much of the bond between master and disciple could be left?
But she instantly became alert, narrowed her eyes and teased, "Xu Qiu, how much did you get from General Banging His Head Against the Wall? Why are you speaking up for her like this today?"
"I would like to accept it too, but you know Lord Lu's temperament. She would surely curse me as a treacherous villain." Xu Qiu bowed and smiled obsequiously.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Chengtai dispelled his doubts, laughed heartily, and leisurely instructed Xu Qiu to summon Prime Minister Xu.
If she remembered correctly, Xu Pin was the one who promoted the prefect of Zhangzhou.
Such a big thing over there didn't even reach the palace. That old dog must have gone to great lengths to keep it a secret!
That night, Xu Lian was summoned to the palace and rushed home before dawn to change his clothes and attend the morning court session. He didn't close his eyes all night.
After the court assembly, palace maids read aloud the three imperial edicts that had been drafted the previous night:
"I have heard that Zhangzhou Prefecture is suffering from a severe drought, with thousands of miles of land parched. My heart is deeply saddened... I have observed that Lu You, the Assistant Prefect of Taizhou Prefecture, possesses great vision and far-sightedness, and his benevolent policies benefit the people. I hereby appoint him as the Imperial Disaster Relief Ambassador to oversee disaster relief and help the world."
This imperial decree left the entire court bewildered, as imperial envoys were usually officials from the capital. What business was it of a mere magistrate like her in Taizhou Prefecture of such a lucrative position?
The second letter rebuked the prefect of Zhangzhou for dereliction of duty and ordered her to atone for her mistakes by expressing gratitude to the emperor.
As for the last letter, it ordered Xu Xiang to procure grain and transport it to Zhangzhou Prefecture for disaster relief.
After the three imperial edicts were read aloud, the court officials knelt on the ground, looking at each other in bewilderment. They keenly sensed the unusual atmosphere in the court and fell silent, trembling with fear.
After Xu Pin returned to her residence, her disciple Song Yin rushed to her door in a panic.
"Teacher, what does His Majesty mean by this?" Song Yin had just been promoted from Prefect to Vice Minister of Personnel, and his position was barely settled when he was dismissed!
Holding the imperial edict in his hand, Xu Pin raised his tired eyes and said hoarsely, "What else could it mean? His Majesty has ordered me to find one million shi of grain to be transported to Zhangzhou Prefecture."
How could it be that simple?
Song Yin was extremely anxious, her hands clenching tightly together. "Oh dear! That Lord He is one of our people! He was criticized so harshly at the court meeting today, and His Majesty even appointed Zheng Pozi's disciple as an imperial envoy. Who doesn't know that she and we are at odds the most?" A thought suddenly flashed through her mind, her eyes widening in horror, and she asked in a low voice, "Teacher, His Majesty wouldn't be planning to treat us like he did to Zong Pozi three years ago?"
That time, His Majesty was ruthless to an alarming degree, slaughtering everyone in the Zong and Lin families without leaving a single survivor. Song Yin was also ordered to oversee the matter, and a total of 4,300 people sat on the opposite platform for nine consecutive days, watching their former greatest political enemies fall one by one. She trembled with fear, terrified of following in their footsteps. She would never forget that scene for the rest of her life.
"What's there to be afraid of?" Xu Pin said listlessly, his eyelids drooping. "You're not worth His Majesty's attention."
She tilted her head and dozed off in her chair. "The most urgent task is to gather this million bushels of grain."
Song Yin was puzzled: "What's so difficult about that? The national treasury can allocate silver, so you can send someone to purchase it." After a moment, her eyes widened suddenly, and she realized: "Does His Majesty mean that he won't give you a single penny to raise?"
Xu Pin remained motionless for a long time, as if he were truly asleep.
Song Yin slammed his fist on the table in anger, lowering his voice: "His Majesty intends to treat us like these money-spending maidens!"
"What's the panic?" Xu Pin opened his eyes, a chilling glint in his cloudy gaze. "Eight years ago, there was a rebellion in Zhangzhou Prefecture. Didn't the national treasury run out of money then?"
Song Yin suddenly realized, his eyes narrowed, and a secret smile appeared on his lips. "Teacher, do you mean to confiscate another batch of merchants?"
Xu Pin frowned, his eyes filled with pity, as if he were truly worried about the suffering people. "With the country in crisis, let them suffer a little more."
"We had no choice but to do it."
Song Yin's face soon showed distress again, "Then, will we split the profits the same way as last time?"
Xu Pin fixed his gaze on her and admonished, "Your Majesty is busy with national affairs. The Hall of Longevity is still under construction. We must not delay it because of money."
"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher." Song Yin chuckled and bowed to her.
A ruthless glint appeared in her eyes, and she said in a deep voice, "Also, help me find out who gave Lu You the message."
......
November arrived in the blink of an eye, with frosty skies and withered trees.
The three senior sisters hurriedly arrived at Zhang Ting's residence to meet up.
Xun Han even teased her, "Zhang Jieyuan, it's been a long time! My apologies for not recognizing you sooner."
Zhang Ting smiled and shook her head, then pulled her in and invited the other senior sisters to come in for a meal.
After a day or two of rest, the chrysanthemums in the courtyard burst into bloom, and the group officially set off for Beijing.
Along the way, these people were all going to take the imperial examinations, so Zhang Shu didn't sit idle. He pulled them all together to test them, examining their understanding of the classics and their essays. He even made a deal that the person who answered the worst would be responsible for feeding the rest of them for a day.
Zhang Ting and her senior sister had never lost. Zou Yueru, Xun Han, and Wu Pingliu had all been punished many times. It was only this time that everyone realized that the third senior sister, who had the lowest profile, was actually a very good cook, no less than a famous chef.
At night, everyone gathered around the campfire to eat meat.
Zong Suyi placed a piece of roasted pork chop on Zhang Ting's plate, put his hand on her shoulder, and leaned closer to say, "My lady, do you have the skills of my third senior sister?" His tone was full of teasing and joking, and his eyes looked malicious.
The warm, fragrant breath sprayed onto Zhang Ting, making her ears feel numb and itchy, as if ants were crawling on them.
Zhang Ting raised an eyebrow. How dare Zong Suyi laugh at her for her poor quality of longevity noodles?
She gave a soft hum and whispered in his ear, "I'm not good at cooking, but I'm good at making you."
Zong Suyi's fingertips trembled, and he almost dropped his chopsticks. He pinched Zhang Ting's waist in embarrassment and anger, and his ear tips turned almost transparently red.
There are still so many people like this, shameless!
Traveling and studying at the same time, the group arrived outside Kyoto a month later.
As dawn broke, the wheels rolled over the snow, and a misty fog rose around them. Pine trees along the roadside occasionally shook off snowflakes.
The carriage swayed and rocked, but Zong Suyi slept soundly in Zhang Ting's arms. She lowered her head and brushed the stray hairs off his face to the side, her lips slightly upturned, and wrapped him even more tightly in her cloak.
Zhang Ting lifted the carriage curtain, and a majestic city gate stood before him, like a cold and awe-inspiring bronze beast, coldly gazing down at the ants below.
After three years apart, she returned.
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