Chapter 322: Live Cattle and Horses on the Verge of Collapse
He spoke these last few words with extraordinary weight, for he had personally witnessed wounded soldiers freezing to death in the icy winter. For a general who loved his soldiers like his own children, this was a heart-wrenching pain.
"Wife, I'm not being unreasonable. I just feel sorry for the soldiers who are defending the border with their own lives! The soldiers are also flesh and blood. Who doesn't have a wife, children and elders behind them?
If they had died on the battlefield, it wouldn't have been unfair. Returning home wrapped in horsehide is the honor of those of us who serve in the military. But to be frozen or starved to death, even in hell, would be pathetic!"
"Of course I know your idea is good. You should choose the lesser of two evils. You are right to prioritize military supplies. But Lord Wang is not selfish. He is also wholeheartedly devoted to the court. Let me explain."
Jiang Wan calmly comforted the irritable toad and began to reason with him.
“I told you earlier that Lord Wang comes from a truly powerful family. Even Lord Qin’s family would have to step back if they bumped into him.
At present, this official in our Dayu court is really optional. Just think about how much effort father put in back then. He gave up his position as the Crown Princess to get a legitimate daughter of the Wang family for my elder brother.
Even now, Lord Wang is willing to take on the role of Grand Tutor, probably out of consideration for his eldest brother, his son-in-law.
A few days ago, at the Grand Court, you showed no mercy, helping the Ministry of War to point fingers at the Ministry of Justice officials and curse them. Do you think this behavior is right? As the Minister of Justice, it is understandable that Lord Wang stepped forward to fight for some winter coal money for the officials.
It's not just the Ministry of Justice; all the petty officials below the fifth rank in the capital are living in a very tight spot. You should investigate first, then discuss a sound solution with the court officials, instead of slamming the table and cursing at the court officials at a grand meeting!
Li Chengxiu, you must remember that you are no longer a general or a prince, you are the emperor! You are the ruler and father of the people of the world. You should consider the needs of the majority and not just act on passion. What do you think?
Li Chengxiu felt that what his wife said made sense, but he didn't know how to proceed.
"Wife, you have always been smarter than me, from childhood to adulthood."
He sat on the edge of the bed with his head hung down in frustration. Although he was an emperor, he looked so pitiful.
“There were many times when I couldn’t understand what they were saying.
When I sincerely tried to reason with them, they would argue with me in a nonsensical way. When I slammed the table and cursed directly, they would say I was unreasonable.
Wife, I am so tired. "
Some time ago, Li Chengxiu, feeling sorry for his wife who was in confinement after childbirth, would always report good news instead of bad news when he returned home every night. He always boasted about how powerful he was, and how he was a smart and capable person who could easily control those old foxes in the court.
But now, he was so discouraged that he tore off his proud face in front of his wife and admitted his incompetence.
"I'm really useless. I've failed my parents and my brothers. I'm probably not worthy of being an emperor. I'm so useless."
Even though he had given his all, forgetting to eat and sleep, he would get up before dawn to work and stay up until the middle of the night. Day after day, he would hunch over the imperial desk where his father and brother had once hunched over it, burning the midnight oil, painstakingly reviewing the seemingly endless memorials.
However, he still made a mess of things.
"Master Qin tried to force-feed me all those rules and regulations, but I listened to them and then forgot them. When I really encountered a problem, I still couldn't come up with a good solution.
Those old foxes set traps for me, and sometimes I could see through them, but I couldn't avoid them. There were many times when I couldn't judge the importance of many things, and it always made my big brother angry.
My father has been standing up for me, and he has offended more than half of the people in the court. But I still can't stand up. I can't do anything except fight. I don't know what to do.
I was so scared I couldn't sleep night after night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw my father, mother, and brother dying. Their eyes were filled with disappointment when they looked at me in my dreams, and it scared me terribly. "Wanjie'er, I'm afraid to see them. I feel like when I die, I won't be able to face them..."
Burying his head on his wife's shoulder, he didn't cry, only the embarrassment of being too exhausted to hold himself up. The immense burden of a vast empire, a burden he lacked the talent to be an emperor, seemed truly incapable of carrying.
"Li Chengxiu."
Jiang Wan shed tears for him.
She raised her hands and held him tightly in her arms, hugging him tightly, warming him together. Her voice was choked with sobs, but she didn't hesitate at all.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here to help you!"
"no."
The big head rubbed her shoulder blade affectionately, speaking the truth in a buzzing voice.
"They don't even take me, the emperor, seriously, let alone you, the queen. If you really stand out, they will definitely give you the worst reputation."
"That's fine. I'm not a good person. Let those with ulterior motives come and give me a try! In the end, it's just a fight to the death. But I guarantee that the fish won't necessarily die, but the net will definitely break!"
He stretched out his claws and tore the man off his shoulders. Jiang Wan looked at this pitiful face. The fatigue and self-abandonment in his eyes could not be concealed at this moment.
"You forgot, when it comes to quarreling and cheating, I've always been better than you since I was a child!
Let's do what we did before in Dongling Mansion. You do what you are best at and I do what I am best at.
It doesn’t matter that we are not the perfect emperor and empress. We were both born as broken semicircles, but as long as we hold each other tightly, we are still a circle!
Do you understand me?"
Li Chengxiu raised his eyes and looked at her.
"But this is my responsibility, not yours..."
"What do you mean by yours and mine? Even you are mine!"
Jiang Wan interrupted him forcefully and looked at him with a deliberately cold face.
"Unless you have something to hide and are wary of me, fearing that I, the Empress, will take away your power as Emperor."
"I'm not, I didn't. How could I possibly think that? I just feel bad for you!"
"I feel sorry for you too!"
This was the first time she spoke such gentle and sweet words of love to him.
"Whoever's man is the one who loves him, Jiang Wan also loves Li Chengxiu."
Just such an ordinary yet heartwarming sentence could instantly touch the souls of both parties. Li Chengxiu hugged his wife and cried loudly.
"Wife, I really don't want to be a slave anymore! Thank you so much for saving my life!"
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