"You're not going to do anything about these things?"
Lu Xingjian: "Salt permits are specifically used to supplement the border troops' pay. What's the point of Shandong issuing them?"
The so-called "opening the market" refers to the imperial court's recruitment of merchants to transport grain in exchange for salt permits in order to solve the problem of insufficient military rations. Merchants could then use these permits to transport and sell salt in designated areas to make a profit.
Gu Ziyu downed a glass of wine without even looking at him.
"Firstly, there's a genuine food shortage; secondly, we can take advantage of the bandits to embezzle from the imperial court, so why not?"
"These past few years have been plagued by natural disasters and man-made calamities, with droughts and floods, and rampant banditry. You haven't even attended the morning court session. How can you face the common people?"
Lu Xingjian's masseter muscle bulged.
That was really vulgar.
Only Gu Ziyu would dare to speak so frankly to his face.
Lu Xingjian lost his appetite for drinking, stood up and left, leaving behind a remark.
"Catch up on your sleep."
Gu Ziyu: "..."
Where are you going?
I rushed over here in the freezing cold and darkness, and you just left?
They really don't treat their subjects like human beings!
Lu Xingjian: "I'm afraid of my wife, I have to go back and coax her."
He paused at the door, then swallowed back the words he was about to say.
He originally wanted to ask if Gu Ziyu should send his eldest son over to play with Yan Ge'er.
But considering the age gap between the two children and that Wanwan didn't like the Wen family, she gave up.
...
Su Wanwan was half asleep when she suddenly felt a heavy object pressing down on her.
He slapped her across the face.
The man's breath carried a faint smell of alcohol: "Wife, why are you hitting people?"
Su Wanwan rubbed her eyes. "Why are you back?"
Lu Xingjian: "..."
He buried his face in her chest, his voice tinged with grievance: "You never come to see me..."
Su Wanwan: "Have you washed up?"
"I washed my teeth and brushed them." Lu Xingjian frowned, a little hesitant. "Did the smell bother you? I'll brush them again."
Su Wanwan pulled him back, "Never mind, let's go to sleep."
Even if he keeps causing trouble, it won't be dawn yet.
Lu Xingjian carefully lay down next to her, his eyes fixed on her face.
He wasn't completely unaware of what Gu Ziyu was talking about.
With only the thought of having Wanwan help him handle things, he focused all his attention on training the army and how to defeat Dayan Khan.
"My wife, you've worked hard."
Su Wanwan closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
Don't worry.
The man's voice was deep and resonant from inside the curtained room.
"I will not be Emperor Wu of Han."
"You will not be like Wei Zifu either."
The air was quiet.
Su Wanwan did not respond.
Lu Xingjian pulled her hand over and completely enveloped her small hand with his calloused hand.
For some reason, he felt a little uneasy.
Her gentleness or silence does not necessarily mean submission or approval.
There is probably no woman in this world more stubborn and opinionated than her.
...
The next day, after breakfast, Yan Ge'er went to the door early to wait.
Lu Xingjian said, "We're not going to Xiaoyuan today."
Su Wanwan's gaze fell on him.
Lu Xingjian squeezed her hand tightly. "You've been working hard lately. Take a good rest. I'll handle everything."
Su Wanwan simply nodded: "Okay."
The light in Yan Ge'er's eyes dimmed: "Why?"
Lu Xingjian: "You don't care about your mother, but I do care about my wife."
Yan Ge looked at his mother and keenly noticed that she was indeed different.
There are dark circles under my eyes.
He sat down next to Su Wanwan: "Mom, let me massage your back."
Su Wanwan patted his head and smiled at him.
Over the next month or so, Su Wanwan did indeed feel much more relaxed.
Lu Xingjian continued to skip court, but he handled all matters in an orderly manner.
Minister of Personnel Yang Yiqing presented twelve policies for suppressing bandits. These policies were clear in their rewards and punishments and highly practical, and Lu Xingjian adopted them all.
The bandits in Sichuan were the most powerful, and the King of Shu donated two thousand taels of silver to support the army. The emperor specially issued an edict to commend them.
He didn't even show up for the palace examination in mid-March; he simply had an imperial edict read aloud to encourage the candidates.
However.
When news of the Tatars' incursions at the border in Yansui reached the capital, Lu Xingjian still hurriedly went to the frontier.
Before leaving, he appointed a two-thousand-strong army to suppress the bandits.
Officials of the three military districts of Henan, Shandong, and Beizhili were all under the command of Governor Ma Zhongci, who granted those who failed to fight in battle the authority to be punished according to military law, and equipped them with one hundred of the most powerful spears in the court.
Su Wanwan was downcast, her eyes pleading: "Can I not go?"
Lu Xingjian gently touched her face, "I will come back as soon as I capture Dayan Khan alive and avenge my great-grandfather."
Last time, it was our own people who messed up, allowing Dayan Khan to escape in disarray.
He won't make the same mistake again this time.
Su Wanwan's last words were simply, "Take care."
Lu Xingjian paused, "If Wei Bin deliberately makes things difficult for you, I'll deal with him when I get back."
Asking a woman to oversee the country is really putting her in a difficult position.
"I have already sent someone to Luoyang to invite my father-in-law. He should arrive in a while."
This news still cheered Su Wanwan up, though she was also filled with mixed feelings of joy and worry.
The good news is that I can see my family.
My worry is that things will be the same as before, with my family unable to withstand both open and covert attacks.
Not long after Lu Xingjian left, an urgent report came from Shandong: bandits had attacked and entered the capital!
Quli is the hometown of Confucius.
They said they smashed the statue of Confucius, tied horses to pillars and trees, and left horse manure everywhere.
Su Wanwan's heart sank.
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