Chapter 345 Rejection of Marriage
First, the emperor asked Mu Nanzhao about the circumstances of his poisoning and the process of detoxification.
He seemed to be concerned about his subordinates, but in fact he wanted to confirm whether it was true that Mu Nanzhao was poisoned.
If Mu Nanzhao's poisoning was fake, or the poisoning was not that serious, then he faked his death and left Beijing. It is possible that he had already noticed the coup, and he may have colluded with Huo Jiang, which is why he went straight to the northwest.
Second, who was the first to propose the idea of the Northwest Army opening up wasteland?
If it was Huo Jiang who proposed it, then he might have planned it for a long time and had hidden ambitions for the whole world, and had secretly stockpiled military rations for this purpose.
On the contrary, the fact that Gu Xixi recognized him was because Huo Jiang had been suffering from a shortage of military rations for a long time, and in order to ensure that the whole army had food to eat, he had no choice but to find Gu Xixi. And at first Huo Jiang did not fully trust Gu Xixi, he was just trying his luck.
Gu Xixi is not good at politics, and based on her thinking, she can only speculate the above.
As for the emperor's mind, he is more suspicious than ordinary people. It is unknown how many possibilities the emperor will think of.
Fortunately, everything he did in the past was aboveboard, and Gu Xixi only needed to tell the truth.
At this point, everything matches what Huo Jiang, Mu Nanzhao and others said, as well as what the emperor himself had people investigate.
The emperor looked at Mu Nanzhao with emotion, "Qi Xiu's journey from the capital to the northwest was truly a life-and-death experience."
"God has mercy on you. It is a fortuitous encounter that allowed you to meet Miss Gu."
He laughed and sighed again, "I was terrified when I heard about the detoxification process. Fortunately, it was safe."
"Otherwise, who else can come to assist me?"
The emperor said this sincerely.
Mu Nanzhao stood up and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, "Your Majesty is the legitimate descendant of the previous emperor, and is both virtuous and talented. Even if I died in the northwest, Your Majesty is still the emperor who is sincerely supported by the people of Daye."
The emperor frowned and said, "What are you talking about? It's unlucky!"
"You must live well and be my subject for the rest of your life. Don't even think about giving up early!"
Mu Nanzhao smiled, "Long live His Majesty. I am a mortal, and I am afraid I cannot keep up."
The emperor laughed, "Sit down, sit down. I've told you so many times that there's no need to be polite when we're alone!"
Gu Xixi looked at the scene of close affection between the emperor and his subjects, as if she was reading a "court workplace textbook".
Maybe this is what they call “The boss can be polite to you, but you can’t be too polite.”
Art!
Superb art!
Gu Xixi finally understood why Mu Nanzhao was able to sit firmly in the position of a powerful official in two dynasties. He was not only highly valued, but also quite trusted.
But she couldn't stay out of it for long.
The emperor turned to Gu Xixi again and said, "I submitted a memorial to the Ministry of Revenue this morning. I want to spray the locust-killing liquid from today on."
"If this is accomplished, it will be a blessing for me and the people."
"I wonder what reward Miss Gu wants?"
It was time to kneel again. Gu Xixi sighed inwardly, stood up and knelt down in front of him.
"I don't want any reward."
"First, the locusts have not been eradicated yet, and the results of my work have not yet been seen, so I dare not take credit for it."
"Secondly, to keep the food safe, the people safe, and the world safe, I, as one of your majesty's many subjects, will do my part to ensure the peace of the world, which is my duty."
The emperor smiled and nodded, as if expressing appreciation, and said to Mu Nanzhao:
"As you said, Boss Gu is an extraordinary woman."
"The breadth of mind and bearing has never been confined to a small boudoir."
Gu Xixi was stunned. Was this how Mu Nanzhao praised her?
The emperor became serious and said, "Miss Gu, tell me more about your ideas on locust extermination. Feel free to speak freely about anything you think of, including any concerns you have."
"Get up, sit down and answer!"
It can be seen that this emperor is a man who gets things done.
Gu Xixi sat back down, calmed down and said, "I have already told Minister He about the drawbacks of the prescription. Due to limited time, the chance of killing the eggs by spraying the medicine is only 50% at most."
"But by the time the remaining larvae hatch, it will take nearly a month for them to emerge as a plague."
"So the next month is the key to winning the locust eradication battle. We need to recruit insectivorous poultry and frogs, especially frogs. They don't need to be raised and supervised, they won't harm the rice seedlings, and frog droppings can also be used to fertilize the fields. As long as there is a water source nearby, they can be used in any field."
The emperor suddenly realized, "Great! Since locusts are the natural enemies of crops, we can use the natural enemies of locusts to control them."
Gu Xixi also talked about several possible accidents and how to deal with them.
The emperor was already full of admiration after hearing this, nodding his head repeatedly, "Good, good!"
"I didn't expect Miss Gu to not only have a lot of skills in farming, but also be very meticulous in planning and layout."
"With such talent, he is completely comparable to some of my courtiers."
Gu Xixi lowered her head and said, "I dare not."
The emperor raised his hand and said, "I never flatter anyone with empty words."
"You just have this ability, there's no need to belittle yourself."
After he finished speaking, he sighed as if talking to himself, "It's a pity that I was born a girl. If I were a boy..."
The emperor suddenly thought of something and looked at Gu Xixi with a smile.
"There's no need to wait until the locust eradication is over."
"You offered advice and suggestions, and worked day and night to come up with a prescription. For these alone, I should reward you."
Gu Xixi couldn't refuse immediately, so she had to listen.
The emperor looked at Mu Nanzhao meaningfully and said, "How about the marriage I grant you?"
"In this way, you will have both status and support in the capital."
"You are assisting your husband, and your intelligence and talent can be put to good use."
Gu Xixi was shocked.
She hardly dared to look up at Mu Nanzhao opposite her.
There is no need to guess, the emperor wants to give her to Mu Nanzhao.
As for whether to be a wife or a concubine, it was no longer a problem that Gu Xixi was concerned about at the moment.
Just as she was about to get up, she heard a few chuckles from the other side.
"Your Majesty loves to joke around. Look how scared Miss Gu is."
The emperor had a smile in his eyes and his expression remained calm, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
After Mu Nanzhao's interruption, Gu Xixi had completely regained her composure.
She came well prepared, how could she be defeated by such a difficult problem?
Gu Xixi bowed again with a serious expression, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I have no plans to get married for the time being."
The emperor looked at her from above, with a commanding look, "Why?"
Gu Xixi said, "Because there are so many things I want to do that have not yet been realized."
"By introducing pini, winter melon, and tomato from the Western Regions, more people in Daye can eat delicious fruits and vegetables, and farmers can earn money by selling fruits and vegetables, so that everyone can have enough food and clothing."
"There are many wastelands on the northwest border. If we can further improve the soil so that the land that was originally only used to grow oats and alfalfa can grow wheat and corn, it may save military rations for the court."
"There is a dependents' village near the Northwest Army's camp, where all the wives and children of the soldiers live. However, they have been eating coarse grains all year round and are worried about not having enough food to eat during the spring famine. Now the Northwest Army has allocated one to two acres of land to each of them for farming, hoping that these women can also be self-sufficient, so that the soldiers in the army have no worries, which is equivalent to serving the country."
"I have tried to plant a patch of Pinellia fruit trees in the barren mountains of the northwest, and have given them to the military families to take care of. If the trees bear fruit and make money, I will share the profits with them. If there is a loss, I will bear it myself."
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