51-60

Chapter 51: Revolt against Xia and restore Zhou, today!

[The last reign title of the previous dynasty was Yongbao. He passed away in the first year of Yongbao, which has been decades. No wonder he recognized the wrong emperor.]

[It was miserable after I accidentally entered the savage tribe. This savage tribe is so primitive. They eat wild animals by tying them up and throwing them into the pot. They don't even clean out the internal organs and feces.]

The ruler and his ministers of Daxia were frozen again.

It's not disgusting, but...if people knew that they were not the emperors and officials of the previous dynasty, they might be the ones tied up and thrown into the pot.

Xu Yanmiao was reciting nervously in his mind how Li Shihu and his soldiers subdued the barbarians and how they trained and built the tribe at the same time.

[What should I do? He is so ambitious! What if the old emperor and his men reveal their identities... Help, how should I tell the old emperor about this? Just say that I have seen Li Shihu's portrait? But I can't say it even if Li Shihu is present!]

The ruler and his ministers of Daxia all looked towards the door. Li Shihu was happily cutting meat for the old emperor, and his body, as strong as a calf, blocked the door tightly.

At this moment, there is only one sentence in their minds -

Li Shihu must not be allowed to know their identities!

and......

The old emperor lowered his gaze and stared at the meat-cutting knife in Li Shihu's hand, pausing for several breaths.

He moved his eyes upwards again and found that due to his sudden pause, Li Shihu's eyes slowly changed from expectation to confusion, and he blinked in confusion.

"I'll give you a title...I'll give you a title..."

Dry!

What are you sealing?

Let him hear your inner voice and then start killing people?

[The general of the previous dynasty will serve as an official of this dynasty! ]

Hearing this sad voice, the old emperor suddenly coughed heavily twice, as if he was choked by something, and looked at the water cup on the table. Li Shihu immediately turned around to get some water and put the meat knife on the table.

When Xu Yanmiao turned his back to him, the old emperor glared at him fiercely.

You better shut up!

Xu Yanmiao had already taken her hands away from her eyes at this time, and was confused by the stare.

[What is the old emperor doing now? Is he displeased with me and suddenly covers his face? ]

"Your Majesty, the water is clean. The tribe has dug a well."

Li Shihu handed the water to the old emperor, who took it. While he was turning around to get the water, the old emperor had already thought of something to fool him.

"...When you return to the capital, I will appoint you as the commander of Shandong."

Li Shihu was delighted.

This is a promotion across levels!

He was previously the Shandong assistant magistrate, which was actually the adjutant of the commander-in-chief, responsible for training the army and rectifying military discipline. According to normal promotion, he should be promoted from assistant magistrate to deputy magistrate, and then deputy magistrate to commander-in-chief. Now he has directly skipped the position of deputy magistrate and become the highest local military commander of the third rank!

Xu Yanmiao sighed: [The old emperor still thinks you are his loyal subject. Sigh, what if someone finds out your identity...]

【Reverse the Xia Dynasty and restore the Zhou Dynasty, today! 】

The old emperor looked at Li Shihu deeply.

He remembered why the name Li Shihu sounded familiar to him.

Previously, Shandong faked a severe drought to defraud him of disaster relief funds, and after it was exposed, many people were killed. During that time, he looked through the official records of Shandong and saw that the last Shandong assistant of the previous dynasty was named Li Shihu.

The old emperor's eyes drifted.

If it were just that, it wouldn't be a big deal. However, he asked people to spread the news among the people, saying that our Great Zhou has many famous generals and that small rebels are nothing. Even a mere deputy general can kill all the rebels without leaving a single piece of armor.

The young emperor at that time was very arrogant and believed it.

He sent eighteen assistants to lead the troops to fight against the eighteen rebel kings. There were still one hundred assistants left who had nowhere to go. When he heard that there was trouble in the Western Regions, he sent them all there.

So, strictly speaking, Li Shihu, the Shandong assistant, was sent to the Western Regions and got lost in the mountains for decades, which was also his contribution.

New hatred and old grudges... Stop, I can't think about it anymore, think about something else! For example, before this, Li Shihu was a member of the Ministry of Justice and attended court in the central government.

They all match up.

No wonder he knew Zheng Peng (Left Secretary of the Honglu Temple in the previous dynasty, and Minister of the Taichang Temple in this dynasty).

The old emperor felt heartbroken.

Such a loyal minister! How could he not be his?

Then he couldn't help but add two more words: "Hereditary."

Hereditary Commander!!!

His son can inherit this position...

Li Shihu's lips trembled: "Thank...thank you, Your Majesty! I...I am deeply grateful for your Majesty's grace!"

The old emperor looked at him deeply again.

Li Shihu suddenly thought of something and asked hurriedly, "Your Majesty, how is the Great Zhou doing now? Have those rebels been killed?"

The traitors at this table who should have been executed suddenly fell silent.

Ah this...

The 18 rebel kings were quite vigorous back then, and the most powerful one was the one in Xiangyang. However, the Xia army was neither better nor worse in terms of momentum.

But it was fortunate that this was the case, as Li Shihu did not recognize them.

——They were making a fortune in silence at the time. Those who proclaimed themselves kings or emperors prematurely were all targeted by the court. Instead, it was this group of makeshift people like them who developed in the cracks, accumulated enough strength, and became the final winners.

The old emperor took a sip of water, and when he looked at Li Shihu again, he said seriously: "Those rebels have been eradicated by me, and now the world has been peaceful for more than 30 years."

[It's possible, but it's not the peace you want. ]

The old emperor took another big gulp of water.

The Minister of Revenue glanced at Xu Yanmiao and used clean chopsticks to pick up a chicken leg for him. Xu Yanmiao was flattered: "Thank you, Minister."

The Minister of Revenue smiled kindly and said, "Eat."

Promise me you'll shut up after eating, okay?

＊

Li Shihu, who had been worried for years, suddenly felt relieved.

"It's good to be at peace! It's good to be at peace!"

He slowly exhaled a long breath, and couldn't help but sigh: "I wonder how my father is doing."

[Your emperor dug up the bones of your previous emperor, threw them into the sewage, and cursed at them. Your father was unable to persuade him, and he was so angry that he vomited blood and died.]

The ruler and ministers of Daxia: "!!!"

They all straightened their bodies and pricked up their ears.

The Weekend Emperor actually did such a thing!

The historian in his seat moved his fingers, trying not to take out a pen and paper to write down the words, but his brain had already started preparing to memorize them.

[Let me see, what was he scolding? ]

【Oh, "Old thing, you control me every day, not allowing me to let my beautiful concubines be frank and chase each other in the open air, not allowing me to whip your concubines - don't you like cleanliness? Don't you say that what I do is unsightly? I will make you clean enough!"】

hiss--

Wow--

What a filial son!

The rulers and ministers of Daxia were amazed.

Moreover, the last emperor and this loyal minister had a paternal grudge against each other!

The old emperor was overjoyed... no, the old emperor was deeply saddened.

The old emperor looked at Li Shihu and said slowly and sadly: "My dear, your father...died less than five years after you left."

Why do we say less than five years? Because the last emperor only reigned for four years.

Li Shihu was silent, took a sip of the wine he brewed, and then smiled: "My father was 81 years old when I passed away. I didn't hold out hope that he would still be alive. It's a happy funeral for him to die at the age of 80. It's just a pity that I couldn't fulfill my filial piety to him after all."

He couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, what about my other family members..."

Since he knows about his father, maybe he also knows about his mother, his wife, and his son? Even if His Majesty doesn't know, aren't there so many colleagues present?

Li Shihu swept his hopeful gaze over everyone one by one, and those who were seen lowered their heads one after another.

[Your son? Isn't he sitting in his seat? The doctor of the Imperial Academy next to me. That's right. After all, he's been gone for more than 30 years. It's normal that he doesn't recognize his son.]

There was only one doctor from the Imperial Academy present. Li Ying looked up suddenly and looked at Li Shihu in surprise and doubt. He tried to identify him carefully... but... he couldn't recognize him.

When his father passed away, he was only five years old! His mother did tell him what his father's name was, but after decades, who would remember it?

"... Dad!" Li Ying stood up hurriedly and took out the longevity lock that she always carried with her, which was engraved with her own name: "Dad! I am your child, I am Ying'er!"

Li Shihu looked back at Sunflower.

"Ying'er!!!"

He didn't even look at the longevity lock, and excitedly gestured with his hands beside his knees: "You were so small back then, and now--" He gestured with his hand on Li Ying's forehead: "You're this big!"

Li Ying felt warm in her heart and was about to speak.

["Good brother! I am your Ying'er's stepfather!"]

Xu Yanmiao shouted in her heart with a pinched voice.

Li Ying: "..."

Li Ying's stepfather, who was also present, said: "..."

It's enough!!!

After Li Shihu was surprised, he thought of something and was even more surprised: "My son! You have made it! Now you can accompany the emperor!"

[Alas, how can the second generation of officials these days not rely on their fathers? Commander Li, you are confused! It was his stepfather who was promising and made it to the first echelon of the founding of the country and became the emperor's confidant! What about the Minister of Rites! Before your son became a doctor of the Imperial College, he was an editor of the Hanlin Academy. Or was it the old emperor who put him in there for the sake of his stepfather's face? Originally, he had to be the second or third place in the imperial examination to be able to become one! ]

The Shaoqing of Taichang tried hard to pull the corners of his mouth and tried to smile, but he couldn't.

At this moment, he was extremely glad that Li Shihu couldn't hear his thoughts, otherwise it would be too embarrassing.

——Although I guess I'll know it later.

But at least you won't have to worry about being thrown into soup.

Li Ying coughed: "Dad, this is not important..."

"Oh, yes, let's talk about the important thing. How is your mother?"

"My mother is fine..."

[It's great! She remarried! ]

Li Ying: "..."

Li Shihu was completely unaware. He and his mother had always had a deep relationship. He was afraid of hearing bad news, so he asked hesitantly, "And your grandmother..."

"Hello, Grandma too!"

[Your mother was remarried by your wife. Your wife is a good person. During the fourth year of Yongbao, the country was in chaos and war, and she saw that the Minister of Rites was pursuing her...]

The old emperor noticed that the Minister of Rites had imitated Xu Yanmiao's behavior and covered his face tightly. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

You wouldn't have thought that my own Taichang Shaoqing was quite innocent. He was so embarrassed when his love history was revealed in public.

While sighing, he picked up the water glass.

[She told him, "I want to take my mother-in-law with me when I remarry." He then persuaded his widower father to marry the mother-in-law.]

"Puff——" the old emperor spat out a mouthful of water.

Xu Yanmiao didn't notice this. She was sighing: [Your ex-wife was a really good person. Now the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law continue to be mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and they get along like real mother and daughter.]

——Li Shihu's mother was his father's second wife, forty years younger than his father.

The Shaoqing of Taichang covered his face tightly and refused to look up even if beaten.

Li Ying coughed again: "My mother...my mother is fine, she remarried..."

"Remarried?" Li Shihu was stunned for a moment, but then he said happily: "It's good that she remarried, otherwise it would be too hard for her to take care of the children and support her parents-in-law by herself."

Li Shihu asked again: "What about your grandmother?"

"Grandma... Grandma is also very nice..." Li Ying laughed stiffly twice: "Back then... Mom took Grandma with her when she remarried."

Li Shihu was very surprised at first, then his eyes turned red: "Your mother is such a good person... Your stepfather's family is also good people, even your daughter-in-law's ex-mother-in-law helped to raise her."

Li Ying lowered her head and her toes slid back and forth on the ground.

Chapter 52 Hey! The reserve grain has grown legs!

No one told poor Shi Hu that he suddenly had a good half-brother.

Everyone was afraid that they would be asked to speak, so they all lowered their heads and drank the soup. The pot of soup was empty very quickly.

Just as Li Shihu was about to say something, the old emperor stood up from his chair and said, "Shihu, walk with me. I want to take a look at your tribe."

Li Shihu immediately forgot what he wanted to say and said with full energy: "Yes!"

"Xu Yanmiao, you come too."

"Ah? Oh! Yes, Your Majesty."

Xu Yanmiao put down the soup bowl, wiped her mouth, and stood up.

At the same time, several ministers had eaten enough and followed with shameless faces.

After leaving the house, the old emperor pointed to a cliff not far away that seemed to have many white marks and asked, "What is this for?"

As he asked, he walked closer and saw Central Plains characters on the white marks, which were obviously carved with sharp stones.

Li Shihu's expression became complicated: "We were afraid that we could not go back and that we would forget our writing, so we carved words on this stone wall."

The old emperor was stunned, his lips moved, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.

The line of words closest to them on the stone wall reads:

'Today I climbed the tallest tree and couldn't see Chang'an.'

Li Shihu pointed at it and said, "This was written by a man named 'Liu Zi' in the team. I scolded him severely at that time. If he fell down, he would be dead."

'Mom! I can cut vegetables now!'

Li Shihu pointed at it and said, "This was written by Yuan Gui, a small soldier who couldn't even make a fire before."

'The iron sword is rusty.'

Li Shihu smiled slightly, but his smile was a little complicated: "This is Brother Ying, my deputy general. The iron sword was issued by the court. Later, it was exposed to wind and rain, and it was difficult to maintain it in the mountains, so it rusted."

"General, I want to eat rice..."

Li Shihu pursed his lips and turned his head slightly: "Guojun was a young man from the south. He died a few years ago. Before he died, he held my hand and said he wanted to eat rice. How could rice be grown in the mountains in the northeast? He never got to eat it after all."

Those traces of words were the spiritual support for those who left their homes. The cultural level of the soldiers was actually not high. Many of them either couldn't even write or had incomplete writing skills. Li Shihu and other people in the army who could write taught them one by one, and slowly, the Chinese characters took root in the mountains.

The old emperor stood in front of the stone wall. He clearly hadn't drunk any alcohol, but he looked a little tipsy.

"Is there a grave?" the Minister of Revenue asked, "I would like to offer them a glass of wine."

＊

There is home-brewed wine. After getting lost in a tribe of wild men in the mountains, a soldier provided his own wine recipe and winemaking method.

"But I'm not particularly good at brewing wine. It took me many years to make wine that tastes good instead of bad." The soldier shuddered as if he had thought of something. "If my parents knew that I made wine so bad in the beginning and wasted food, they would definitely beat me with a stick."

He said this with a smile.

The old emperor took the wine glass and carefully poured a glass of wine in front of the grave in the corner of the tribe.

Then he turned around and solemnly promised these barbarian officers and soldiers: "You will definitely be able to get out. I am the Son of Heaven, and my words are golden."

The whole valley was filled with joy. The wild soldiers and officers happily hung many rabbits on bamboo poles, with drums behind them. The rabbits kicked their hind legs in panic and hit the drums.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The sound of drums echoed in the valley. Wood and branches were thrown into the fire, making a crackling sound. The flames suddenly rose. The savages and soldiers gathered around the campfire, shouting "Wula Wula" as if they were celebrating.

There was a ventilation hole high up on the cliff, and the moonlight shone in obliquely. The shadows of the straw rope and the rabbit swayed on the cliff and on the smiling faces of the wild soldiers.

None of them asked the emperor and the ministers if they had any proof that could guarantee that they could get out; they just wanted to hold on to hope and be happy.

The iron pot is placed high, the soup in the pot is boiling, the meat pieces are floating, and the aroma is overflowing.

The celebratory dance was over and the soup was ready. Each person got a bowl and it was served quickly.

The old emperor said approvingly: "This meat is very tender."

Better than that firewood chicken.

Li Shihu said happily: "It is a blessing for it to be liked by Your Majesty! This thing is very difficult to catch, it is very clever and slippery..."

The old emperor nodded, took another bite of meat in his mouth, and patted Li Shihu on the shoulder again.

I cannot tell you that there is a Bai Ze divine beast in power, but you just wait, you will definitely be able to walk out of this mountain range, and you will definitely be able to return to your homeland.

Speaking of Bai Ze...

The old emperor looked at Xu Yanmiao, who was drinking broth from a bowl, blinking her long eyelashes, looking particularly well-behaved.

The old emperor had some PTSD, and he felt somewhat relieved when he saw Xu Yanmiao drinking the soup seriously.

Looks like I can have a good dinner today.

[Wow! Commander Li's lost journey to the Western Regions is really interesting! ]

The old emperor nodded slightly.

Well, focusing on the journey is also a good way to kill time.

Coincidentally, he also listened...

[I want to cook and eat people! ]

"?!"

The old emperor turned his head instantly, almost twisting his neck, and stared at the big iron pot and the boiling hot soup in the pot. His expression became very strange.

I held the chewed meat in my mouth, and for a moment I didn't know whether to spit it out or swallow it.

Li Shihu didn't notice it, and he continued to say enthusiastically: "Besides, it was just caught today, fresh! Killed right away! Your Majesty, don't worry, the blood is still there!"

He pointed his finger and saw that a patch of ground in the distance was indeed covered in blood.

Old Emperor: "..."

His pupils trembled slightly, and the hand holding the chopsticks was shaking slightly.

Is it possible... is it possible?!

Yongchang Hou spat out the meat into his sleeves with a "wow" sound. He moved very quickly so that no one could see him. Then he drank water one cup after another. He finally calmed down after drinking three cups of water. However, he was still nervous and said to Li Shihu: "You...this...my...this meat..."

Li Shihu blinked in confusion: "What's wrong with this meat?"

He bent down to sniff it, picked up a piece of it with chopsticks, took a bite, swallowed it, and then said, "It's pretty good. It's cooked, and it's not tough when you chew it."

【Ah? What's wrong with this mutton? 】

Xu Yanmiao chewed the meat with a confused look on his face.

The emperor and a group of officials: "..."

It's mutton. You don't--

Oh, wait, no one said that what was cooked in the pot was human flesh. They were just under stress.

The old emperor closed his eyes.

Calm down, calm down, take a deep breath, and take another deep breath.

OK! Calm down!

The old emperor opened his eyes and winked at Marquis Yongchang.

Let's quickly end the topic of mutton and let Xu Yanmiao continue to pay attention to the journey to get lost in the Western Regions - the point is, what is the matter with "wanting to cook and eat people"!

Yongchang Hou understood, laughed twice, and forced an explanation: "The piece of meat I just ate felt very salty. Maybe after adding the salt, I didn't stir it here. It choked me to death."

"Original--"

Before he could finish his words, a dark shadow suddenly emerged from the side and hugged the emperor's thighs: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Spare my life! Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

"What the hell?!" The old emperor was startled and subconsciously tried to pull his feet away. He couldn't move them even if he tried hard. He looked carefully and said, "Why are there barbarians here?!"

Or the one with yellow hair and green eyes?

Li Shihu quickly stood up and admitted his guilt: "It was my fault that he disturbed the emperor. I deserve death!" Then he hurriedly tried to drag the man away.

The barbarian held the old emperor's thigh tightly and was so strong that even Li Shihu couldn't pull him away.

The man shouted in a stiff Chinese accent: "Your Majesty! I am willing to recognize the Great Zhou as my master! I am willing! I really am willing! I am the king of the Uighurs! Please! Give me a chance to recognize my master!"

——He also thought that it was still the Zhou Dynasty.

The old emperor did not refute him, but just looked at Li Shihu: "What's going on?"

Li Shihu's face showed a trace of struggle, and then he hung his head and said dejectedly: "I originally wanted to present him as a gift to Your Majesty when he passed away. But this man was disrespectful to the envoys and the Great Zhou. He was arrogant and rude. Not only did he not want to submit, he also wanted to detain us in the Uighurs. So I led my soldiers into the capital and kidnapped him."

However, the barbarian screamed in fear and continued to cling to the old emperor's thighs: "You liar! Devil! You devil!"

——The word "devil" is an ancient word, whether it is the Buddhist "saying five directions to drive away devils" or the Taoist "bind devils in the true text", which describes the evil ghost that harms people.

The people in the Central Plains spread these words through the Silk Road, and the barbarians also understood the meaning of devil.

Li Shihu looked at him and blinked in confusion: "I just locked you up today, there's no need to..." Such a big reaction?

He believed that he never abused prisoners. Even when they were lost, the soldiers would try their best to give the king some food if they had any. During the decades in the barbarian tribe, he usually did not tie him up, but just guarded him to prevent him from escaping.

It was on the day when His Majesty came that he locked the man up for his selfish reasons.

Li Shihu didn't understand, and no one else understood what the Uighur King was afraid of.

Xu Yanmiao glanced at Li Shihu, then at the Uighur King, then turned back and ate the mutton. Under the mutton was a bowl of wheat rice, which he ate several mouthfuls of.

[It seems that this person has completely forgotten the words he threatened the Uighur King when he was lost. ]

The rulers and ministers of Daxia were very curious.

What kind of threat could make a king so scared?

The old emperor lowered his head. The Uighur king was hugging his thighs tightly, crying and sobbing.

"..."

So what?

[However, the Uighur King remembered it clearly. After all, if someone was threatened that he was the food reserve, he would stew the food reserve in advance if he dared to run away. This kind of thing would be remembered very clearly.]

[Not to mention, Commander Li would look at his fat from time to time in order to scare him, and occasionally pat it, like weighing pork in the market.]

Old Emperor: "..."

Ah... this... if that's the case, then the Uighur King's reaction is really quite serious.

The Uighur King could not hear Xu Yanmiao's inner voice. Thinking of his miserable life as a captive, he cried heartbreakingly and hiccuped: "Hiccup! And! They are lost and have no guide. I know the way! I really know the way - hiccup! Whenever I wanted to speak, I was scolded. Whenever I moved or struggled, I was beaten! Whenever I wanted to speak again, I was gagged!"

Feeling everyone's gaze, Li Shihu touched his nose and lowered his head guiltily: "I thought he wanted to run away."

The Uighur King whimpered twice and cried even louder.

"I watched them go the wrong way, and I couldn't tell anything. My legs are almost broken from walking. They abused the prisoners. Hiccup! And they said I was a fat king and they wanted to use me as food reserve!"

Woo woo woo woo woo woo——

The Uighur King's cries were deafening.

Who knows how nervous he was in the past few decades! He learned to farm even if he didn't know how to do it, and he got angry with anyone who tried to stop him from pulling the plow! He lost all the fat.

The Uighur King hugged the old emperor's thighs and rubbed his face against them - the old emperor almost jumped up.

"I don't want to be a reserve grain! Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Great Zhou! Please accept the Uighurs as your henchmen, wuwuwu——"

Old Emperor: "..."

This is so embarrassing.

Your brother's son only came to power last year, and I have already taken him in!

Chapter 53: Long live our emperor! Long live our emperor! Long live our emperor!

Actually...it's not impossible to collect it.

The old emperor reacted quickly and immediately thought about splitting the Uighurs.

Although the current Uighur king (his younger brother's son) has no idea of ​​rebelling and seeking independence, and immediately led his ministers to the capital to express his loyalty as soon as he came to power the year before last, but... compared to loyalty, which requires people's hearts, the old emperor believes that using his own means to weaken the Uighurs will make it impossible for them to rebel.

For example, let this wild Uighur king return to his country, but do not allow him to seize the throne. If he still wants to be king, he should establish a new Uighur tribe.

Oh, and the current Uighur king is also not allowed to kill him.

——If the Turks can have Eastern and Western Turks, then naturally there can be Eastern and Western Uighurs as well.

Of course, someone has to be sent to watch over it.

Who should we send?

The old emperor thought about it again and again.

The general has already gone to sea, and he would be reluctant to leave even if he hadn't.

Marquis Yongchang...he couldn't bear to give it up either.

The old emperor's gaze shifted to Li Shihu.

This is acceptable.

This one is especially suitable!

He had been to the Western Regions and lived with the Uighur King.

It's better to do something familiar than to do something new!

Li Shihu didn't know why, but he suddenly felt a chill on his back.

...

Three or four days later, a wild Uighur king joined the group of people coming out of the mountains.

——The reason why it took so long to go out was to avoid the possibility of running into barbarians.

＊

"His Majesty--"

The Minister of Rites was the first to discover the long-missing old emperor and his entourage. He couldn't hold back his voice and ran over in an unruly manner, "Where on earth has your majesty been these days? Is he injured?"

He quickly reported the situation: "Your Majesty, rest assured. On the first day of your disappearance, the crown prince blocked the news and only let the few ministers who accompanied him know. Even the prime minister was not aware of it. Now the crown prince and the ministers are handling official business. The outside world only thinks that your majesty is reluctant to leave Shanhaiguan and stayed here for a while longer."

After taking a breath, he continued, "Your Majesty has not returned for several days. The Crown Prince asked the Royal Guards to search everywhere, and he also went to the surrounding prefectures to mobilize troops a few days ago."

The old emperor finally felt relieved.

During these few days in the mountains, he was also worried about the situation outside. Now it seems...

The old emperor nodded slightly: "The prince handled it very well."

The Minister of Rites bowed, and in a blink of an eye, he saw Li Shihu winking at him. He was immediately startled: "Why are you here--"

The old emperor was even more surprised than him and almost opened his mouth to interrupt.

Li Shihu was recognized and could hardly hold back his smile: "Long time no see, Mr. Tanhua! Hey, you've been rehabilitated and returned to the court? Great, what position have you held now?"

Upon hearing this, the Minister of Rites immediately reacted - Li Shihu and his group had no idea about the change of dynasty!

Looking at the number of the barbarian soldiers, and then thinking about the distance between the local soldiers and here: "..." The Minister of Rites forced a smile: "Yes, yes. Fortunately, your Majesty has been kind to me and I became the Minister of Rites."

Li Shihu was very surprised: "You have become the Minister of Rites! A third-rank official! Great! Congratulations! It's a pity that I didn't have time to give you a gift for your promotion."

The Minister of Rites still forced a smile and said dryly, "I am very happy to see you alive. Whether there is a gift or not is not important."

The words were sincere, but if they were not said in the current situation, the emotions in the Minister of Rites' words would probably be more sincere.

It was a surprise when His Majesty came back, but it was a shock when His Majesty came back with officers and soldiers from the previous dynasty.

A group of people walked towards the yamen.

Li Shihu was very emotional: "I have been to Shanhaiguan before, and I haven't been out for a long time. Even Shanhaiguan has changed. Before, there was basically a stage on every street. Now there is not a single one left."

The Minister of Revenue laughed dryly: "Yes..."

The previous dynasty was extravagant and the emperor liked ornate writing, which the emperor of this dynasty firmly opposed. Now, more people on the street are literati reciting poems and writing couplets. Of course, there are also opera singers, but they have to go to the theater to sing. Moreover, compared with infatuated men and women, the operas of this dynasty are more inclined to reflect the suffering of the people and expose the darkness of the bureaucracy. After all, the emperor who crawled out of the people loves to listen to this.

Some of the barbarian soldiers exclaimed: "Now we can actually gather together to drink?!"

The Minister of Rites covered his lips with his hand, coughed twice, and said, "It's a new change. Back then, when there were eighteen rebels, people were naturally not allowed to gather together to drink. Now that the world is peaceful, the ban has been lifted."

Someone else hesitated: "But, how come the way of eating and drinking is different? I remember that the pancakes on the street used to be the size of the palm of your hand, and you could finish them in three or two bites. A big man could eat more than ten at a time. Now the pancakes are so big that a big man can be full after eating two pancakes at a meal."

"Well... now it's a peaceful time, the price of rice and flour has dropped, so the cakes can be made bigger."

——In fact, the customs of the people in the previous dynasty were more delicate and refined, while the customs of the people in the current dynasty are more rough and bold.

"Oh... Then when cooking meat, they put it in large chunks. Is that because meat is cheap now?"

"That's right!"

——The previous dynasty preferred to slice the meat thinner. In the previous dynasty, only soldiers would do such bold actions as cutting the meat with a knife in specific occasions. Unlike now, even ordinary people on the street like to use a knife to cut a large piece and put it into the pot.

"Can ordinary people drink tea now? When I came out, I clearly remember that even in ordinary teahouses, only people with a little wealth could afford to drink tea."

The changes in the world made these isolated people dizzy. Even the folk customs changed. All the changes were so frightening to these people that they even felt that this land was a little strange.

＊

When they arrived at the government office, many people went in as if they were escaping.

After sitting down, Li Shihu asked the Minister of Rites: "I have been in the mountains for an unknown period of time. What time is it now?"

"The reign title of Yongbao will only last for four years. After that, it will be Tiantong. Now is April 1, the 33rd year of Tiantong."

Others cheered in their hearts.

The Tanhualang is worthy of his title. He clearly did not tell a single lie, but he made people misunderstand that Yongbao and Tiantong are two reign titles under the same emperor.

Li Shihu's face changed, and he turned around and bowed to the old emperor: "I deserve to die! I didn't know that today is your majesty's last day!"

"Um?"

It's not him today...Oh!

The old emperor realized that the person he was talking about was the last emperor of the previous dynasty.

Li Shihu was still there shouting: "Long live our emperor, long live our emperor, long live our emperor!"

He was annoyed again: "It's a pity that the birthday gift I prepared cannot be given now."

——After all, it was already known in advance that the emperor had accepted the loyalty of the Uighur king, so it would be inappropriate for him to use it as a birthday gift.

The old emperor remained calm as he helped the man up and said with a smile: "It is a great honor for me to have such a great general."

The more directly he spoke to others, the more grateful they felt, and the more they were willing to die for the emperor.

Li Shihu stood up, beaming with joy, and asked the others, "I believe that all my colleagues have already prepared a birthday gift for Your Majesty. I wonder what it is!"

Well......

The government office was silent for a moment, and the Minister of Rites took the lead in breaking the deadlock, solemnly saying: "I will recite a poem for Your Majesty!"

Then he improvised and wrote a standard birthday poem.

——There's no other way, I just thought about it now.

The one who composed a poem in seven steps, regardless of whether this is official history or unofficial history, at least he could walk seven steps! Li Shihu mistakenly thought that they had already prepared birthday gifts, and he didn't even have time to walk seven steps!

The Minister of Finance immediately followed up: "I will sing a song for your majesty!"

Old Emperor: "..."

Although the Minister of Revenue has an elegant appearance and a mellow voice, and he swings his sleeves and steps when singing, his manner is very natural, but...

How strange.

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites followed closely behind him: "I will write an article for your majesty!"

"I..." After finding that all the gifts that could be brought out on the spot were almost mentioned, Yongchang Hou looked around and pulled out his sword: "I will dance with the sword for your majesty!"

It was not until this moment that Li Shihu realized that he had done something very inappropriate and he immediately slapped his head.

All the colleagues have just returned, and even if they have prepared birthday gifts, they must have placed them in their respective rooms. Now that he has asked them, they can only use these poems, songs and dances to celebrate his birthday. As for the real birthday gifts, they will definitely have to wait until the real birthday banquet to be taken out.

Oh, it's all his fault! He got a little too proud of himself just now!

Li Shihu was feeling annoyed when he suddenly felt footsteps approaching him, followed by a man's anxious voice: "Dad! The Jinyiwei said you're back! Are you hurt?"

The prince walked in hurriedly with his limp. He walked so fast that he stumbled and almost fell to the ground. He had no time to notice the many unfamiliar faces here. Only after he was sure that his father and the ministers were safe did his face light up again.

Can't wait to share the gossip I encountered before.

"Dad, let me tell you, when I was leading the troops back, I encountered a group of rebels! Guess how they were exposed?"

"wait--"

"Isn't today the birthday of that little bastard emperor of the previous dynasty? They arrested a lot of women for this matter, saying they wanted to strip them naked and burn them for that little bastard to celebrate his birthday. Fortunately, I eradicated him in time--"

Noticing the strange atmosphere, the prince came out of his excitement and asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

The wind flowing in the air had apparently stagnated.

The old emperor turned his head stiffly and looked at Li Shihu: "My dear, please listen to my explanation..."

It would have been better if he hadn't said it. As soon as he spoke, Li Shihu reacted immediately.

"clang——"

Li Shihu drew his sword and glared at the emperor: "So you are a traitor!"

The wild officers and soldiers who came out of the tribe with him were stunned by this sudden incident, but they still hesitated and stood behind Li Shihu.

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites rolled his eyes and pretended to be surprised: "Li Lang! You don't even want to avenge your father's murder?"

Li Shihu was confused: "What?"

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites then repeated the absurd deeds of the last emperor of the previous dynasty and the incident that angered his father to death in detail without adding any exaggeration.

Li Shihu's eyes widened: "Is what you said true?"

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites said, "Why would I lie to you? Li Lang, these can all be found out."

The Minister of Rites immediately responded, "Do you know how the last emperor died? He went out to shoot arrows at the people for fun, and stayed overnight in a temple. The prime minister and the last emperor's personal guards took advantage of his deep sleep and chopped off his head with a knife."

When saying this, the author deliberately concealed the fact that the prime minister neither ascended the throne himself nor supported the royal family to ascend the throne. He just defended the capital without an emperor and finally died for his country.

He was afraid that his former colleague would find his target after hearing what he had said and would directly kill him by the neck.

Li Shihu was indeed stunned: "So that's how it is, but..."

The Minister of Rites gritted his teeth and stood up: "Brother Shi Hu! If you don't consider yourself, you should also consider your mother, your ex-wife, and your son! You have been a loyal and righteous man, but they haven't seen you for decades, and they want to be buried with you?"

Li Ying rushed forward and hugged Li Shihu: "Dad! If grandma knew you were still alive, I don't know how happy she would be!"

"Ying'er..."

Li Ying cried, "Dad! Grandpa was so angry that he died! The last emperor of the previous dynasty was a beast! Not only did he insult his father's corpse, he also forced his cousin to enter the palace. He also toyed with the ministers at will. He forced the butcher to eat pig food. One day, the Minister of Personnel smelled fishy. He was very curious and had the Minister of Personnel's stomach cut open. If the ministers disobeyed his wishes, he would draw his sword and hack them!"

Li Shihu was shocked: "How could it be!"

Seeing that his attitude had softened, except for the last step, the emperor gave Li Ying a look.

Li Ying understood: "Besides, he also likes to play with boys!"

The officials were confused: "Ah? This is also considered heavyweight?"

Li Ying: "..." After the words were out, he gritted his teeth and shed tears, "I was summoned to the palace once. Grandpa was so angry that he died later!"

It is true that the last emperor played with boys. It is also true that Li Ying had entered the palace—she was only rewarded, and nothing else was done to her. It is also true that my grandfather was so angry that he died.

But it was not the same day at all. There was no need to tell Li Shihu about this.

Under the shocked and admiring gazes of the crowd, and under the surprised and loving gaze of the old emperor who said, "Li Qing is actually a very loyal minister!", Li Ying closed his eyes in despair.

Damn Xu Yanmiao, if he hadn't heard too much gossip that goes against the bottom line, how could he blurt out this at a time like this!

And Li Shihu...

His eyes widened.

＊

Li Shihu remained silent for three days, sitting in an attic, watching the people coming and going below. The wind and sand in Shanhaiguan were very strong, and when a hurricane came, the air was filled with yellow sand.

The border has always been a bitter and cold place, but the people of Shanhaiguan had smiles on their faces, proving that the new emperor was doing a good job.

He remembered that before he left, even in the heartland of the Central Plains, the people were filled with sorrow.

On the fourth day, Li Shihu went to see the old emperor.

On the fifth day, Li Shihu took the official seal of the Shandong commander and the leave note approved by the emperor and went to find his son: "Ying'er, I want to see your grandmother. I heard that she is in Shanhaiguan."

——As for the soldiers under his command, after he was willing to surrender, they all received rewards for their contribution in saving the emperor, and after being disbanded and reorganized, they happily went to their respective military camps.

Li Ying was overjoyed: "Dad! You've figured it out! Let's go——"

Li Ying paused.

"What's wrong with Ying'er? Let's go! I've already inquired about the gates of the mansion. Let's go see your grandma!"

Li Ying pulled the corners of her mouth, and her smile was uglier than crying.

Besides my grandma, there is also... my mother.

He didn't dare to imagine what the scene would be like then.

＊

The scene is very warm.

The mother and son hugged each other and cried bitterly.

Even though he knew his mother had remarried, Li Shihu said nothing. He just called his stepfather "Father" according to etiquette.

"Dad! My son is back!" The voice of Taichang Shaoqing came from outside.

As soon as they entered the door, Taichang Shaoqing and Li Shihu stared at each other.

Li Shihu was very surprised: "So we are colleagues and brothers! I am two years older than you, but I have the audacity to call myself your elder brother."

"Brother."

The Shaoqing of Taichang had a subtle expression of discomfort.

Li Shihu didn't notice it. He let out a loud "ah" and was about to take out the animal tooth necklace he had sharpened from his pocket to give to his new brother.

As luck would have it, another voice came from outside: "I just heard someone shouting, is your husband back?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Taichang Shaoqing was horrified: "Wait!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Li Shihu was surprised: "Madam!"

But the woman had already walked in.

When her eyes met Li Shihu's, she was stunned, and Li Shihu was also stunned.

Li Shihu was stunned and looked at the Shaoqing of Taichang.

The Minister of Rites coughed and said, "Brother, I can explain this matter."

Li Shihu looked back at his mother and stepfather. His stepfather smiled kindly: "Huzi, are you eating at home tonight?"

Li Shihu looked at his son Li Ying, but Li Ying silently covered his face and didn't look at him.

Li Shihu: "... Is this what you said, remarry together???"

Li Ying replied quietly: "Doesn't it count?"

Li Shihu held his forehead and swayed his body.

In fact, he did not leave the mountain, did not meet the emperor, and did not go home. He just accidentally ate poisonous mushrooms, right?

The author has something to say:

For the cousin, please refer to Emperor Xiaowu of the Southern Song Dynasty, Liu Jun.

For the ministers' stomachs being cut open and the emperor's death, please refer to the later emperor Liu Yu of the Song Dynasty.

＊

There is a saying that the story of composing a poem in seven steps is not official history.

The evidence is that Cao Zhi published his own works, and the Seven-Step Poem did not appear in them.

【Therefore, the works of a gentleman are majestic like a high mountain and majestic like floating clouds. Their simplicity is like autumn weeds, and their flourishing is like spring flowers. They are vast and brilliant, and can compete with the elegant and eulogistic works. I have been fond of fu since I was young. What I value is elegance and generosity, and I have written many works. Although I wrote poems inspired by different genres, many of them are messy and sloppy, so I edited and compiled them separately, and compiled them into the 78 pieces recorded above.

——Collected Works of Cao Zijian】

.

After Cao Zhi's death, Emperor Ming of Wei, Cao Rui, ordered the collection of more than one hundred of Cao Zhi's fu, odes, poems, inscriptions, and miscellaneous essays, but the Seven-Step Poem was still not found.

The first time the allusion of "composing a poem in seven steps" appeared was in "Shishuo Xinyu", which was during the Southern Dynasties, which was separated from the Wei Dynasty by the Jin Dynasty.

＊

Saying that the five directions drive away the devil

——The Buddha Speaks of the Great Initiation Mantra Sutra

Bind the Devil to the True Word

——"Shangqing Lingbao Dafa"

[These two are from the previous chapter, I forgot to post them yesterday]

＊

Chapter 54 Are you here to cheat me of my money again? !

The old emperor is preparing to leave Shanhaiguan tomorrow.

At this moment, the Prime Minister sent a memorial asking for instructions.

"Wakoku requested that the tribute route back to Japan this time go through Dengzhou, Shandong, instead of Ningbo? And go with the tribute envoys from Goryeo?"

Seems like there's nothing wrong?

After thinking about it, the old emperor wrote with a stroke of his pen -

allow!

Looking further down, there is a letter written by the Japanese envoy, using Chinese characters.

The old emperor raised his eyebrows lazily and read it slowly.

The content of the letter was about 3,000 words, describing how vast China was, how well he governed Daxia, how peaceful and prosperous the people were, and how much he respected him as the emperor.

He then used another 3,000 words to describe the hardships of Japan, saying how poor and cold the people there were, and that they couldn't even get meat to eat. Even their shogun only had a bowl of rice, a bowl of soybean paste soup, and a pickled radish for a meal.

Finally, they wrote a heartfelt 500-word petition, asking Daxia to allow them to pay tribute more often.

The old emperor looked strange.

Most countries now pay tribute once a year.

But some countries, such as Goryeo, came three or four times a year, and sometimes five or six times a year. They came once on the emperor's birthday, once on the crown prince's birthday, once during the New Year, and once when there was something important in the Xia Dynasty. Sometimes, they would come again when there was nothing important.

Japan... wants to learn from Goryeo?

"Come here, call the Minister of Rites."

As soon as the Minister of Rites arrived, the old emperor asked him for the list of tribute gifts from Japan.

"Your Majesty, it's probably some swords, guns, armor, agate, crystal, and some gold-sprinkled and gold-painted furniture. Hmm... there are also cowhide and horses."

The Minister of Rites knew the emperor well. After a moment's thought, he added, "Swords and spears, usually 100 each, one set of armor, 20 pieces of agate of ordinary size, crystal beads, a number of furniture... at least one, at most two or three, a number of cowhides, and about three or four horses."

It's not just not much, it can be said to be a meager gift.

But this was also Daxia's initiative. As a great country, the Celestial Empire was not greedy for the money from the four barbarians. It was enough to ask them to offer some local specialties every year.

The old emperor tapped his knees several times and said to himself, "It seems that poverty is really poverty."

The Minister of Rites continued to report: "The gifts given back by the imperial court are usually 10 to 20 bolts of silk and satin, and a full set of clothes, boots and socks for the king and the envoys. The king gives 100 to 200 taels of silver, and the envoys give a total of 10,000 copper coins."

The old emperor nodded slightly: "It's not much. If so, one or two more times, the treasury can afford it."

He then wrote on the memorial: "Approved." The birthday banquets for the emperor and the crown prince, as well as New Year's Day banquets, three times a year are sufficient.

The Minister of Rites was curious: "Why did your Majesty suddenly..."

The old emperor had just finished reviewing a pound or two of official documents, and the prime minister's memorial was the last one. The old emperor waved his hand, and the young eunuch accompanying him brought a folded hot towel and put it on the emperor's eyes.

"Wakoku requests to come and pay tribute more often."

——That is to say, to take advantage of others.

The emperor of Daxia closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, saying slowly, "Daxia and Japan are neighbors, and I am the ruler of all nations, so how can I not save them? First, I don't have to manage their internal affairs, and second, I don't have to help them get rich. I can only give them more gold and silver as rewards."

There is another layer, which the emperor did not say, but the Minister of Rites also knew.

Those small countries survived by paying tribute, not only money, but also the support of big countries. If the enemy wants to attack you, they have to consider who their master is.

Therefore, if those small countries dare to disrespect us one day, we will just refuse their tribute.

——Sometimes tribute is also a way to control the surrounding small countries.

The old emperor sighed again: "Besides, the Japanese are too poor. I heard that they can't even eat meat."

The Minister of Rites was a little surprised: "So poor? No wonder he is not tall."

"Yes, I heard that their king doesn't allow them to fish, and they can only eat food made from soybeans... Even the general only eats rice, soybean soup, and pickled radish."

After listening to the old emperor, the Minister of Rites was filled with sympathy: "In this case, I will instruct the Ministry of Rites to give more care to the Japanese envoys in the future."

The mission to Daxia might be the only time in the year when these envoys could eat meat.

It's so miserable.

The old emperor nodded slightly to show his agreement.

——Since Daxia is the suzerain state, I, the younger brothers, will try to help it if I can.

＊

The old emperor decided to inspect the Liaodong Regional Military Commission, so he left Shanhaiguan and headed northeast, inspecting along the way.

About a month and a half later, when they arrived near Fuzhou Wei, they happened to meet the returning Japanese delegation.

The old emperor, mindful of their previous attempts to gain sympathy, specially summoned the envoys to inquire about the situation.

The chief and deputy envoys of Japan were both Zen monks, but they were not ordinary monks. Instead, they were monks who could interfere in secular politics and serve as advisory bodies for the shogunate's internal affairs.

Therefore, when the other party saw the emperor, he did not follow Buddhist etiquette, but secular etiquette, saying: "I pay my respects to the Emperor of the Xia Dynasty."

The old emperor asked them kindly, "How are you doing in the Central Plains?"

The Zen monk replied, "Very good. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

The old emperor asked about food and accommodation, and the chief and deputy envoys both answered that they were all good. The other Japanese in the delegation were even more excited and said that there was so much meat here, and the pork and chicken were especially delicious, and they had never eaten horse meat before.

One after another, they said: "Thank you for the generosity of Emperor Tiantong of Daxia!"

But the old emperor was so proud...

＊

"Eh? Your Majesty is so generous that he uses his treasury to reward the Japanese envoys?"

Xu Yanmiao was greatly shocked: "A delegation of two hundred people, each person was rewarded with two geese, eight fish, a red gauze quilt, eight pieces of gauze, and a hundred copper coins?"

The military secretary added: "There are also 60 kilograms of calamine and 300 kilograms of brass. I heard from the Japanese that they are short of brass and materials for smelting brass, so Your Majesty gave them these as a reward."

Xu Yanmiao was even more shocked: "Your Majesty is not stingy... ahem, Your Majesty has always been very thrifty, how come..."

He not only said it verbally, but repeated it in his mind as well.

The old emperor immediately sent for him. In a voice that the Japanese delegation could not hear, he said earnestly: "Xu Yanmiao, some money should be saved, and some money cannot be saved. A suzerain state should have the bearing of a suzerain state. If a neighbor is so poor that he can't even afford meat, he should still help him more or less. You don't know that the hot pot you ate a few days ago, the sliced ​​pork and chicken, they can only eat it when they come to pay tribute in a year. Usually they either eat tofu soup or pickled radish. It's not because they are poor, but because the whole Japanese country is poor. Even the generals can hardly eat meat."

Xu Yanmiao hesitated: "...Is that so?"

The old emperor patted him on the shoulder: "Of course."

The old emperor called the Japanese envoys over and asked, "I heard that you have a meat ban?"

The envoy said with a bitter face: "Yes. The Emperor believes in Buddhism, so he doesn't allow us to eat meat..."

The Minister of Rites, who was standing close by, was a very compassionate person. Hearing this, he had already quietly tucked his handkerchief into his eyes and said, "I lie in the government office and hear the rustling of bamboos. I suspect it is the sound of people's suffering..."

[Oh!] Xu Yanmiao suddenly realized: [The old emperor was cheated of his money!]

The sadness on the old emperor's face suddenly froze on his face.

The Minister of Rites almost poked his finger into his eyeball, but it hit the corner of his eye instead, causing him to hiss in pain.

The other officials were stunned.

The envoy from that small country was deceiving them? !

[Found it! I said I had seen this decree. It clearly states that you cannot eat cattle, horses, dogs, monkeys, and chickens from early April to late September every year. As for wild boars, deer, and bears, you can eat them as long as you can hunt them.]

The Japanese envoy naturally could not hear what was in his heart, nor did he know that he almost had his underwear stripped off.

He was already in tears as he spoke of the so-called "Meat Ban" and said, "However, even without this "Meat Ban", Japan was so poor that it was difficult to eat meat. Even the shogun could only eat tofu, polished rice and pickled radish."

[Yes, yes, but I didn't say that. This shogun just likes to be frugal. As for other daimyo and shoguns, they enjoy eating salted swans and wild goose hotpots.]

The Japanese envoy wiped his tears and looked at the old emperor with gratitude: "Emperor Tiantong of the Great Xia Dynasty! Thank you so much for your generosity! We Japanese have never eaten goose before, and now thanks to your majesty's great blessing..."

emperor:: )

hehe.

The look he gave the Japanese was as cold as ice.

How dare you cheat me of my money...

The old emperor asked again: "Is it really difficult for your samurai, generals, and daimyo to eat meat?"

The Japanese envoy said, "Respected Emperor Tongzhi of the Great Xia Dynasty, you may not know that before the meat ban was issued, most of us ate cherry thorns, cherry pots, red leaves, peonies, and cypress. Meat was rare."

A minister who had been on a diplomatic mission to Japan came up and whispered to the old emperor, "Your Majesty, it is true. The diplomatic mission rarely saw any butcher shops there."

The old emperor's expression relaxed slightly.

If that's the case, then it's not wrong to say that you're poor.

[Puff——]

[The old emperor won't believe it, hahahaha! ]

Old Emperor: "..."

The minister who was sent to Japan broke out in a cold sweat.

Xu Yanmiao, stop talking nonsense!

I have never lied to your majesty!

[Eating sakura sashimi and sakura hotpot, that's true, in order to evade the meat ban, the Japanese called horse meat "sakura", sakura sashimi and sakura hotpot are horse meat sashimi and horse meat hotpot! ]

The minister who had been on a diplomatic mission to Japan breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, it was the Japanese who deceived Your Majesty, not me.

[Oh, and red leaves are venison! Hahahaha! Peony is wild boar meat! Cypress is chicken! ]

The old emperor looked at the Japanese with increasingly cold eyes.

Very good, it turns out this is the case. It is rare to see a butcher shop like this.

——The name has been changed, of course it is not a "meat" shop anymore.

Glancing coldly at his own envoy, the minister who had been on a diplomatic mission to Japan almost wanted to kneel down and explain immediately - if Xu Yanmiao had not been by his side.

He did go to Japan, but he was led by the Japanese who came to greet him all the way to the emperor, and he was not allowed to move around. Just like the Japanese who came to Daxia, they were also escorted by officials from the Ministry of Rites and placed in the Huitong Hall. Their freedom of movement was restricted. They were allowed out once every five days, and were not allowed to enter or leave without permission at other times.

In this situation, coupled with the fact that there were no tasks assigned in advance, it was really difficult to understand the various ways of Japan, let alone find out whether they could get some food.

The old emperor sneered.

"The tribute..."

[Ah! Oh, right! There is also tribute! ]

The old emperor's expression was blank for a moment.

He suddenly wanted to knock Xu Yanmiao out.

He really, really didn't want to know exactly what he had been cheated of!

Xu Yanmiao, don't you know there's a saying that goes "If you are not stupid or deaf, you can't be a family patriarch!"

[Wuhu, Goryeo offered tribute of gold and silver, but the old emperor refused. He said Goryeo was remote and that the gold and silver were purchased from other places, which was too expensive and unnecessary.]

[The same attitude is applied to other vassal states. The old emperor is quite kind.]

The old emperor was stunned for a moment.

...being praised?

rare!!!

In an instant, the old emperor's mood improved, and he no longer hated the Japanese who dared to deceive him so much.

[It's a pity that we ran into the Japanese who were taking advantage of us. 】

"..."

That mood suddenly dropped again.

[Tsk tsk, in recent years, Japan has discovered the Iwami Silver Mine, but the tribute they gave to Daxia did not contain any silver at all.]

[Then the Japanese and the old emperor said that the silver they used for trading was purchased from other places, and they used it to exchange for Daxia's copper coins...]

Xu Yanmiao paused for a moment, and then he did a series of messy data calculations. Before the rulers and ministers of Daxia could react, Xu Yanmiao had already come to the conclusion -

[Fuck! If we take into account the annual output of Iwami Silver Mine, which is over 5 million taels...]

How much?!

The eyes of the rulers and ministers of Daxia were already bloodshot.

More than five million taels of silver a year?!

"Fuck your ancestors!" Marquis Yongchang couldn't help but curse.

Such a huge mountain of silver was right within their reach, and they didn't even know it!

[Within thirty years, Daxia will be short of copper and will probably have to turn to importing copper from Japan.]

【Souvenirs～】

[It is better to have thin material possessions but deep feelings than to have deep material possessions but thin feelings~]

The ruler and ministers of Daxia: "..."

Stop scolding.jpg

The author has something to say:

Japan's meat ban:

From now on, all fishermen and hunters must not build cages or use machine guns. Also, after the first day of April and before the 30th day of September, they must not set up bimanshajililiang, and must not eat cattle, horses, dogs, monkeys, and chickens. Other violations are not prohibited, and anyone who violates them will be punished.

——Nihonshoki

[Translation: (Starting in 676) From the beginning of April to the end of September every year, it is forbidden to eat the meat of cattle, horses, dogs, monkeys, and chickens, but other things are not prohibited.]

＊

In Bingshen, fishing was banned within 1,000 steps of the Muku Sea in Settsu Province, 20,000 hectares of Nagi Field in Ati County in Kini Province, and 20,000 hectares of Mino Field in Iga County in Iga Province. Guardians were posted, and the Takaya Sea in Otori County in Kawachi Province was also banned.

——Nihonshoki

＊

The Japanese people started eating meat very late. The longest history of eating chicken is only about 400 years, and chicken is only served on holidays. As for "four-legged animals" such as cattle, sheep, and pigs, it was not until the "civilization" stage in the late 19th century that they slowly entered ordinary households. The reasons for this are, first, the Buddhist belief, and second, the Japanese, who are used to eating fish and other seafood, have long found it difficult to accept the taste of "meat", especially the meat of four-legged animals, thinking that they are too fierce and have a serious psychological resistance.

...

"One soup and one dish" has become the Japanese diet pattern, dominating their dining table for a long period of history. The so-called "one soup and one dish" means a bowl of rice, a soup and a dish. And the "dish" is often just a little pickled radish or salted cucumber; the soup is mostly miso soup without any oil.

——《Details of Japan 2》

＊

On the 15th day of the 11th month, the Emperor said to his ministers: "Korea is a remote country, but many envoys have come to pay tribute. Their tribute is usually in gold and silver, which is not something a small country can always afford. I will use the imperial edict to instruct the King that from now on, tributes of local products will be sufficient to show sincerity."

——"Ming Shilu Xuanzong Shilu"

＊

Japanese tribute:

Horses, helmets, armor, swords, waist knives, spears, gold-painted colored screens, gold-sprinkled cooks, gold-sprinkled desks, gold-sprinkled hand boxes, gold-painted powder boxes, gold-painted pen boxes, gold-sprinkled copper kettles, gold-sprinkled wooden kettles, gold-plated fans, agates, crystal beads, sulfur, hematite, and cowhide.

——"Da Ming Hui Dian"

Four horses, two broadswords with gold sheaths, ten thousand kilograms of sulfur, twenty pieces of agate of different sizes, three sets of gold-plated screens, one hundred broadswords with black lacquer sheaths, one hundred spears, one hundred long swords, one piece of armor, one inkstone and its box, and one hundred fans. The plan was submitted.

——"History of Chinese Diplomacy"

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Ming Dynasty Return Gift

During the Yongle period of the reign of Emperor Japan, the king was given crowns and clothes, silk gauze, gold and silver ancient artifacts, calligraphy and paintings, and other items.

In the tenth year of Xuande, the king was given twenty pieces of silk, eight pieces of gauze, two pieces of brocade (from a local merchant), and two hundred taels of silver. The consort was given one hundred taels of silver.

In the 20th year of Chenghua, the king was given 20 pieces of outer and inner silk, 20 pieces of gauze and leno, 4 pieces of brocade (from a local merchant), and 200 taels of silver. The princess was given 10 pieces of outer and inner silk, 8 pieces of gauze and leno, 2 pieces of brocade (from a local merchant), and 100 taels of silver.

The chief and deputy envoys were each given a gold-lined monk's robe with gold-plated silver hooks and rings, a silk robe, a silk shirt, two pieces of silk, one piece of gauze, six pieces of silk, 10,000 copper coins, and a pair of boots and socks.

In addition to the tribute, envoys, goods brought in by themselves, and goods purchased by the government, all must be priced. Those who cannot afford it will be ordered to trade on their own.

——"Da Ming Hui Dian"

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The non-tribute lottery during the Hongwu period:

The tributes of various foreign countries and the native officials of the four barbarians were displayed in the palace courtyard on New Year's Day, Winter Solstice, and Holy Day. If foreign goods were brought in and wanted to trade with China, the government would take 60% of them and give them the price, and still exempt them from taxes.

——"Ming Shilu Taizu Shilu"

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At the beginning of the Yongle reign, the seal was bestowed. Since then, every year on the Holy Festival, the New Year's Day, and the Crown Prince's Thousand Years Day, envoys were sent to pay tribute and offer tribute. Other celebrations and thanksgivings were not fixed. If there was an important event in the court, envoys were sent to issue edicts to the country. When the king requested a title, envoys were also sent to pay tribute. The tribute during the year was the most respectful among all the countries.

——"Da Ming Hui Dian"

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If the barbarians of Han and Tang were still here, and the emperor of Sui was still on the expedition to the east, if I were not deceiving and insulting me today, why would I be willing to mobilize troops and tire the distant people? If I do not abide by my duties and rashly stir up trouble, disaster will surely come.

From now on, it is better to have small things but deep feelings than to have big things but small feelings.

——"Ming Shilu Taizu Shilu"

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Lying in the government office, I hear the rustling of bamboos, thinking it is the sound of people's suffering

——"Painting Bamboo in Weixian County Office, Presented to My Uncle Bao Dazhong Cheng Kuo"

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Chapter 55 Fight!

There has always been a shortage of money in China.

Whether it was copper coins or gold and silver, there were not enough to circulate in the market, not to mention that some people would be buried with a large amount of gold, silver and copper after their death.

——That's why there are silk coins and paper coins as tokens.

It's just a whole mountain of silver, which can be swallowed completely.

Now who still cares whether the Japanese delegation has cheated them? Hurry up, put it aside for now and don't delay them from discussing how to make money!

Someone from the Ministry of Rites stepped forward and asked the Japanese delegation to leave with a smile on their face. In order not to alert the enemy, they used the excuse of discussing the next tribute.

As soon as the people left, the old emperor ordered the Jinyiwei to form a large circle outside and forbid people to approach. Then he said: "The Jinyiwei had previously lurked in the Japanese delegation..."

Those local officials and princes who could not hear the emperor's voices suddenly looked at the old emperor with subtle eyes.

Your Majesty/Daddy's desire for control has really reached this point! He even has to stuff the Royal Guards into any random delegation! Then around them——

The old emperor smiled.

These people suddenly felt a chill on their backs and fear in their hearts. They became as quiet as chickens and their breathing became shallow.

In fact, the old emperor silently said three times in his heart: Think about Bai Ze, think about Yin Shan, isn't it just being misunderstood as being suspicious? This is nothing!

Beside him, the historian wrote furiously: The emperor was suspicious and placed the Jinyiwei among the Japanese envoys...

——Of course he knew that the truth was not like this, but he could not write "The Emperor has Bai Ze" in history books.

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The old emperor began to compile.

"The Jinyiwei heard the Japanese envoys disrespecting Daxia in Japanese, saying that Daxia people are stupid and have a lot of money..."

The Minister of Revenue could not help it. He said anxiously, "Your Majesty! Since they are disrespectful, just beat them up!"

Don't worry about the doubts in the minds of those who can't hear their own voices, and get straight to the point!

Xiao Bai Ze is in his seat, and we, the Beijing officials, are waiting for him to hear Yinshan say a few more words! It would be better to tell us the location! So that those of us who are eagerly waiting can go straight to our destination after getting off the boat!

That's more than five million taels every year!!!

I don't know how many years I can dig, but...

The Minister of Revenue thought carefully for a while and came to a conclusion.

He has now turned into a huge greedy person. After 20 years, from the cash on hand to the real estate and the estimated value of treasures and antiques... he will probably be able to embezzle enough money to buy five million taels.

In other words, even if you can only mine for two or three years, you will still make money.

After figuring it out, the Minister of Revenue stood up with a bang, and his voice was as urgent as lightning striking a tree trunk. With a crackling sound -

"His Majesty!"

"I approve the war expenses!"

All the officials present in the capital knew what kind of person he was and were deeply shocked at this moment.

The stingy guy is finally willing to pluck his feathers!

But after thinking about it, it was normal - that was a silver mine that produced five million taels of silver a year!

[This is the true Celestial Empire, the dignity of a great nation. Wherever we lose, we will get it back double.]

Many ministers nodded in their hearts.

That's right!

[It would be great if the imperial court knew that Japan has Iwami Silver Mine and Sado Gold Mine. That is the "gold" in the Treasure Island, the general name of 55 mines, which can produce 10,000 taels of gold a year, and have been mined for nearly 400 years.]

Four hundred years...

Four hundred years?!

"Bang—" The Minister of Revenue fell headfirst. No one from the Beijing officials present went to help him up. Their thoughts were frozen by these "four hundred years".

The old emperor was the first to come to his senses. His face was red, his lips were trembling, and he almost roared: "Fight! Must fight!!!"

A mountain of gold, ten thousand taels a year, a mountain of silver, five million taels a year. With these gold and silver, he can fill the national treasury!

Let's start by reducing taxes and duties!

Let's also start water conservancy development!

There are also various welfare benefits...

Of course, the economy cannot be achieved with money alone, but Daxia can use the silver to hire people from outside to develop the people's livelihood - nearby countries also recognize the purchasing power of silver.

This is just a preliminary idea. We will have to hold a court meeting to discuss the follow-up.

In short, with this money, he was confident that he could skip two or three generations of rule and directly -

The founding of a country marks its heyday!

Many ministers were jealous.

Who of those who can sit in their position is looking to be exposed as a corrupt official? Who doesn't want to be recorded in history as the "founder of the Tiantong prosperous era"?

do not talk!

beat!

"Your Majesty! You can't fight!"

???

who?!

The Minister of Revenue had just woken up and heard these words. He immediately looked over with wide eyes.

The person who spoke was Liang Rui, the magistrate of Qingpu County. He was a good official. Not only did he never embezzle the people's property, he also did not allow his subordinates to embezzle the people's property. In addition, during his five years as magistrate, he abolished excessive taxes and paid attention to developing local production, making the people here rich and the army strong.

The Minister of Revenue had heard of him, and he also knew that the emperor had also noticed this man and planned to promote him to the central government after his seven-year term was over.

The old emperor paid more attention to talents, so he could patiently ask, "Why?"

And he made up his mind that if the other party only knew how to say that war was a waste of money and labor, and that it was too aggressive to send troops because of a little disrespect, it could only mean that this person was not suitable for entering the central court, and it would be better for him to be an official in the local area and benefit the people.

The Qingpu County Magistrate stood up and saluted calmly before saying, "Your Majesty, this place is evil. There is an evil wind helping it. In the past, Emperor Gaozong of Zhou conquered Japan three times. Every time when the country was about to be destroyed, an evil wind would blow and cause the Zhou army to be defeated. If Your Majesty wants to attack this country, I am afraid that I will lose both my prestige and my troops."

"Evil wind?"

The old emperor looked at the old censor.

The old censor was well-informed. Before becoming a censor, he had guarded the royal library for forty years (previous and current dynasties). He could tell many things at length. At this moment, he pondered for a moment before saying, "It is true. In the ninth year of Emperor Gaozong's Yuanheng reign, the Japanese were disrespectful to the Zhou. When the Zhou attacked Liaodong, they claimed to be the Son of Heaven in the imperial letter. They wanted to take the opportunity to test the Zhou Dynasty and make them recognize the position of the King of Japan as the Son of Heaven. Emperor Gaozong was furious and fought on two fronts under pressure. He sent 50,000 troops and a thousand warships to attack the Japanese."

When dynasties change, a lot of information will be buried, especially about the previous dynasty. After all, the history of the previous dynasty is compiled by the later dynasty. Before the official history books came out, many people, even the high-ranking officials present, had never heard of this battle.

——Except those who have read the Old Book of Zhou.

The old censor tried his best to take care of these people, so his words and sentences tended to be simple and clear.

"On July 15th of the ninth year of Yuanheng, the Zhou army set foot on Tsushima Island in Japan. A few hours later, the island was completely occupied."

"On the 24th, we captured Iki Island."

"On the 29th, we entered Hakata Bay, and on the 30th, we set foot on the main island of Kyushu."

"Capture the main island in half a month? Or fight on two fronts? That's not difficult." The deputy commander of the left army laughed and patted his chest and said, "Your Majesty, there is no need to say more. If you give me 50,000 troops, I will definitely be able to defeat the Japanese country."

The Minister of Rites shook his head and said, "If that were the case, why would the Zhou Dynasty have to attack Japan three times? I'm afraid the key lies in that evil wind."

The old censor nodded approvingly and continued, "Originally, there were only a few remnants of the defeated army left in Northern Kyushu, and they could have invaded Dazaifu in four or five days. However, on the 30th, a violent storm suddenly struck, which raged for five days. Only 200 of the thousand warships remained, and only 3,000 of the 50,000 soldiers managed to escape back to the Central Plains by taking small boats. Another 7,000 or 8,000 were taken prisoner, and the rest all died in the evil wind."

"This has happened three times in a row. There are yin and yang officials on board to observe the celestial phenomena. However, the evil wind is hard to predict..."

The speaker was Liang Rui, who was dressed in gray plain clothes and frowned slightly. "I know that Daxia's majesty is inviolable. If we appear weak and can be bullied, I am afraid that the surrounding barbarians will look down on us. However, Japan's evil wind is strange. If Daxia also launches a third expedition to Japan, no... only two expeditions will be enough to lose face."

He proposed a solution: "I think it would be better to send an envoy to rebuke the King of Japan and then refuse his tribute to show the power of heaven."

The old emperor remained silent.

After all, his main goal was Japan's mountains of gold and silver.

But the evil wind...

【At once......】

At the critical moment, Xiao Bai Ze's inner voice rang out, and his face was full of confusion.

[Did no one in the Zhou Dynasty ever think of attacking Japan in a different season? 】

[Of course there will be typhoons from June to October. Why not fight in the spring? Why do you have to choose this time? Is it because the horses are fat and the weather is nice during this time? Are you used to fighting?]

[Also, you can consider using Tamra Island as a transit point, as it is the closest to Japan. ]

Jeonra Island?

The old emperor and several generals looked at each other.

Yongchang Hou recalled the location of Jeonra Island, nodded slightly to the old emperor, and whispered: "It is a single island, right between the Central Plains and Japan, closer to Goryeo. We raise horses there, and sometimes exile prisoners there."

——In other words, Xu Yanmiao's strategy is actually feasible? !

The ruler and his ministers of Daxia were all shocked.

Little Bai Ze actually knows how to fight? !

The clerk of the Ministry of War was the most shocked.

My best friend is not a naive person! Could it be that he actually has military strategy but just doesn't show it? !

"Xu Lang..."

Xu Yanmiao suddenly came back to his senses: "Ah? What happened?"

The clerk of the Ministry of War asked cautiously: "I saw that you looked very serious just now..."

Xu Yanmiao's eyes widened: "Do I look particularly solemn?"

[It's over, it's over. I didn't manage my expression well! Will people see that I don't like Japan? ]

Military Department Secretary: "..."

Actually, there is no such thing. It is just made up to bring up the topic.

"Yes, there are some." The military clerk coughed and continued, "I see you are listening so carefully, do you know a lot about Japan?"

Xu Yanmiao scratched his cheek: "Also... okay?"

[I also learned about which months Japan would not have typhoons, which geographical location would be more suitable for attacking, what mines were on the island, and which countries had used which tactics against Japan, which ones were useful and which ones were not...]

Along with these thoughts came the information that he subconsciously recalled and muttered to himself.

The ruler and ministers of Daxia: "..."

As the saying goes, the person who knows you best is your enemy.

With Xu Yanmiao's knowledge of not even knowing in which month mulberry trees are planted, how could he go out of his way to find out in which months the evil winds would stop blowing in Japan...

I always feel that this person hates Japan to bits.

Then we have to fight even more!

Yongchang Hou spoke with his northern accent and lied with his eyes wide open: "Your Majesty! I have lived on the coast! I have seen that kind of evil wind, and I know when it blows and when it stops! A friend of mine has a blood feud with the Japanese. I want to avenge him. I beg Your Majesty to send me to fight!"

The deputy commander of the left army spit at him: "Are you trying to help him get revenge?"

You are obviously the Tuna Gold and Silver Mine!

You are a bitch!

The author has something to say:

Modern times cannot be written, so no related plots will appear in the text.

The author only wrote about a fictional small country that was disrespectful to Daxia.

Any similarities in the plot of the article are purely coincidental.

(serious)

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As for the corrupt official, take Heshen as an example.

Of course, it is not some wild history about 800 million taels of silver (), because according to the "History of Chinese Currency", during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, the total silver content of the entire Qing Dynasty was only 300 million taels.

According to "The Purses of Officials and Gentry: A Study of the Asset Structure of Elite Families in the Qing Dynasty", the estimated value of their assets, from cash on hand to real estate and treasures and antiques, was probably no more than five million taels.

(Most of the historical materials in it come from "Military Affairs Office Recorded Memorials", "Letters from the Ministry of Internal Affairs", and "Official Leasing Drafts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs")

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If you are worried about inflation, you can learn more about the "Longqing Opening" in the Ming Dynasty. Here is just a brief introduction:

[In 1567, Emperor Longqing announced the lifting of the "sea ban" and allowed private individuals to trade in the East and West Oceans. According to research by some scholars, from 1567 to 1644, the total amount of silver that flowed into the Ming Dynasty from overseas was about 330 million taels, equivalent to one-third of the world's total silver production during the same period.]

[With so much silver flowing in, the price of rice is still very stable:

Early Ming Dynasty: During the Hongwu period, the national price of rice was 0.5 taels per stone.

Mid-Ming Dynasty: During the Hongzhi period, the price of rice in Beijing was 1.8 taels per stone.

After the opening of the Longqing era, the price of rice in Beijing was 0.5 taels per stone.

Late Ming Dynasty: During the Wanli period, the price of rice rose to 1.6 taels of silver per stone due to floods, while it was 0.5 taels per stone at ordinary times.

During the Chongzhen period, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the price of rice rose to 3.6 taels of silver per stone.

(So, the mountains of gold and silver on Treasure Island can still be eaten.)

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When Emperor Gaozong of Zhou attacked Japan, he referred to the "Emperor of the place where the sun rises writes to the emperor of the place where the sun sets" and "Mongol attack on Japan" of the Sui Dynasty.

Then, when Mongolia attacked Japan, what I never understood was... why they used flat-bottomed river boats to go out to sea (I was confused). If they encountered a typhoon, who would capsize if not you?

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Chapter 56: Committed suicide with seven bullets in the back!

"That's right, Your Majesty." The Deputy Commander of the Left Army said, "I also have a friend..."

Yongchang Hou: "Haha, lowly."

The deputy commander of the left army said confidently: "He is a lowly person, so what! He is not after that! He is a eunuch!"

The other generals and marquises were also very excited: "Your Majesty! Fight!"

"Your Majesty! As long as we can avoid the evil wind, Japan! I can destroy it with a snap of my fingers!"

"Your Majesty! I am willing to be the vanguard!"

"I will go to the left army!"

"I will go to the right!"

"Your Majesty! I have experience in naval warfare!"

On the contrary, the old emperor's excitement subsided at this time, and he began to think: "Wait a minute, we can't send troops yet..."

[Oh! What are you waiting for!] Xu Yanmiao was getting anxious: [Damn it! I hate that I have never been to sea! Profit is the biggest motivation. If only I could say that there is more than one mountain of gold and silver over there. The old emperor would definitely beat me up!]

The old emperor shook his head in his heart.

Xu Yanmiao still doesn't understand political affairs very well, and sending troops is not that easy.

"War is not a game..."

【There is a golden mountain near Kurokawa Valley in northeastern Kai. 】

Old Emperor: "..."

Suppress the hesitation in your heart.

He tried to continue: "When fighting across the sea, we can indeed use the surrounding islands as logistical supply bases, but Japan is also located on an island. It is possible to force it to surrender, but it is difficult to rule it for a long time..."

[There are also the Yuno-no-Oku Gold Mountains in the south, about six gold mountains...]

"Although the difficulties are not insurmountable..."

The old emperor continued with difficulty: "However, we still have to consider the transportation problem after conquering. If we don't spend time to manage and just plunder the resources, the manpower and material resources transported back to the Central Plains will be wasted, and the largest consumption will be food."

"Also, you may not know that Japan's resources are not food, but mines. After transporting them back, if you want to turn them into food, you have to buy them from neighboring small countries. If there are natural disasters or man-made disasters, and the country lacks food, I'm afraid..."

The old emperor sighed: "Even if there is gold and silver, I can't eat it when the time comes!"

[There are also Shinano, Musashi, Suruga... There are about 28 gold mountains in these places? ]

[Ah! That's right!!!]

[Ashio Copper Mine! At its peak, it could produce two million kilograms of copper a year! ]

[That's two million kilograms of copper! ]

Two million!

It can solve the urgent problem of copper shortage!!!

The old emperor's hand trembled, and he said quickly -

"But in fact, gold and silver are not inedible."

Under the confused gazes of the local officials and vassal kings, the old emperor changed his words at an astonishing speed: "I just thought of a way. We can first force Japan to sign a humiliating treaty and order them to pay tribute every year and transport it to the Central Plains. The consumption of grain will be borne by Japan itself."

Money makes people excited.

As long as you have money, nothing is impossible.

Before today, the old emperor had never thought that he could react so quickly and come up with a solution so quickly.

Yongchang Hou's reaction also exceeded his limit: "Your Majesty! I have a way! We can trap the Japanese!"

"My dear, please tell me quickly!"

"Japan's location on the sea is its advantage. Anyone who wants to attack them must first train the navy and build ships. Secondly, fighting across the sea is a taboo in military strategy and is very costly. In addition, this place is barren, mountainous, and prone to earthquakes. Even if they are conquered, it will be a piece of chicken ribs. Therefore, ordinary people will not mobilize troops against them."

——Of course, this is without knowing how much gold and silver there is over there.

Many officials nodded.

War costs money. Even though the silver mountain produces five million taels of silver a year, it is actually a lot. If you lead an army of 100,000 to fight in the Western Regions (Xinjiang), this amount of money is not even enough for the travel expenses.

There were many dynasties before Zhou and Xia. One of them was also a great country. It sent troops to attack the Western Regions. It took three years to conquer them. It was like filling a bottomless pit. A total of 26.7 million taels of silver were spent.

After conquering the city, troops were sent to garrison there, with an annual expenditure of 8.5 million taels, which was not much different from the expenses during the war.

And if they were to capture the Japanese islands, they would probably have to pay even more military expenses - at least the Western Regions don't have so many mountains and frequent earthquakes!

The Marquis of Yongchang's throat moved, and his eyes seemed to be shining.

Maybe it's the light from the gold and silver mines.

"But! This is also Japan's disadvantage! As long as we block their islands and the sea at sea, they will not be able to break through!"

The naval forces of both sides are not at the same level.

"Using the islands surrounding the Wa Kingdom as a base, such as Tamra Island to the north, Tsushima Island and Iki Island, which the Zhou Dynasty had to attack before attacking Kyushu Island, and other surrounding islands surrounding the Wa Kingdom, our navy will occupy them and completely block the Wa people's way to the sea. After that, we will force the Wa King to sign an alliance and pay tribute."

"good!!!"

The old emperor had great difficulty in suppressing the curling of his lips. He could still put on a serious look despite the illusion of mountains of gold and silver before his eyes: "You are worthy of being my Marquis of Yongchang! You are worthy of the title of Yongchang!"

Then he turned to look at the Qingpu County Magistrate: "So, do you have any objections?"

The Qingpu County Magistrate cupped his hands and said, "I have no objection."

The move by Marquis Yongchang was equivalent to pulling the logistics supply line directly to the sea near Kou Island. After all, the navy could fish, grow crops, and build fortresses on the occupied islands, and with the entire Daxia as their backing, they could withdraw to Daxia in advance when the evil wind blows.

If the Japanese are unwilling to surrender...

It doesn't matter. When an island confronts a continent, no matter how good the people on the island are at fighting, they can only watch helplessly as the other side's logistics continue to flow in, as they add people, weapons, food, and all kinds of strategic materials.

——With the resources of the mainland, the mainland can lose many times, but if the island country fails just once, it will be doomed.

The Qingpu County Magistrate thought for a moment and said, "If Your Majesty is worried about the governance issues after the attack, you can actually move all the Japanese to a smaller island with less resources."

The official who hadn't figured it out subconsciously asked, "Why?"

The officials who suddenly understood the truth took a deep breath and looked at the Qingpu County magistrate as if he were an ancient poisonous scholar.

The magistrate continued in a calm tone.

"If they can't get out of the island, they can only fight for resources in a limited base, and they will naturally split apart. This can suppress their population growth. And Daxia comes to the island every year to choose a force to trade with, bringing materials that are not available on the island. Naturally, they will try their best to please and submit to Daxia in order to win its attention."

"And the former Wo Island, after being vacated, can be used as another place of exile for Daxia."

Since it is a place of exile, we don't have to worry too much about how to provide disaster relief when typhoons or earthquakes come.

It's poisonous. It's really poisonous.

But the old emperor admired this county magistrate more and more, and promoted him on the spot: "When you return to Qingpu County, you should prepare to resign and hand over the post."

The magistrate of Qingpu County showed a slight look of joy on his face: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."

The old emperor felt a little uncomfortable when he saw that he didn't look particularly happy.

——Now, all the officials in Beijing are particularly emotional because of Xu Yanmiao's voice.

With a hint of evil intentions, the old emperor got excited and said, "Although you have not resigned yet, you are no longer the magistrate of Qingpu County in my eyes. Now I grant you the position of the head of the Ministry of Justice. When the official document arrives today, you can go and claim it."

"Thank you, Your Majesty—"

[If we fight the Japanese, what's the excuse? The excuse that the delegation was disrespectful to the Emperor of Daxia should be enough, right?]

A voice interrupted him without caring whether he was talking or not.

The newly appointed head of the Ministry of Justice paused for a moment and finished the remaining word. Just as he was frowning, wondering which official was so rude, he heard that voice again -

[If that's not enough, I remember seeing someone who intervened reasonably...]

【found it!】

The head of the Ministry of Justice keenly discovered that not only was His Majesty's eyes drifting towards one place, but the eyes of his colleagues in the capital that he could see were also uncontrollably drifting in one direction.

"?"

[As expected! The Japanese emperor's son is in this delegation! His identity is hidden!]

"?!"

The head of the Ministry of Justice sensed that this person might not know that his words were heard, otherwise he would not have spoken in such a tone as if he was talking to himself.

And it seemed that others heard it too.

But how could there be such a strange thing in the world!

The old emperor glanced at the obviously shocked expression of the head of the Ministry of Justice, and finally felt satisfied. He happily continued to listen to Xu Yanmiao's thoughts.

The son of the Japanese emperor! And then!

[I remember that there have been many times in history where the suzerain state could interfere in the internal affairs of its vassal state? For example, during the reign of Emperor Wen of Zhou, there was a country in the Western Regions where an uncle seized the throne from his nephew. Emperor Wen of Zhou specifically issued an edict, asking the uncle to cease fighting and preserve the blood relationship?]

The old emperor clicked his tongue twice, looked around, and called the newly appointed head of the Ministry of Justice forward: "My dear, what is your name?"

"My name is glorious."

"Glorious, I remember that...Emperor Wen of Zhou, he also seized the throne from his nephew, right?"

The head of the Ministry of Justice: "...Yes."

That's true, but Your Majesty, why do you look like... 'This is really interesting' or 'I didn't expect something like this to happen'?

Is it really okay for you, an emperor, to be like the gossipmonger at the village entrance?

[I don't know if the Jinyiwei has discovered that the Japanese prince is in the team. I always feel that with the old emperor's shamelessness, he can play with this prince in a variety of ways. ]

The old emperor felt that Xu Yanmiao really didn't know how to speak.

How is he shameless?

A few months later.

Japan.

The King of Wa held the freshly-issued letter from the Great Xia in his hand. His face was as pale as wax and his expression was as if he had swallowed a fly. "How could my son possibly ask the Xia Dynasty to send troops!"

The Daxia envoy said politely: "The prince said that the Emperor's "Edict of Compassion for Living Things" has made the people in the country miserable and the people are forbidden to eat meat. He said that Daxia is the suzerain state and asked Daxia to save the poor Japanese people. Your Majesty naturally refused. How can you interfere in the internal affairs of another country without reason?"

The King of Japan breathed a sigh of relief and put a smile on his face: "Yes, yes..."

The Daxia envoy looked sad, and his tone was up and down: "Poor prince, he committed suicide for his people. I beg your Majesty to send troops..."

He clapped his hands and ordered people to bring up the body of the Japanese prince who had committed suicide by being shot seven times in the back.

"The prince is so concerned about the country and the people that His Majesty is deeply moved by him and has decided to punish the criminals. He has specially sent me to inform the Emperor—"

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

The author has something to say:

"I am a lowly person, so what! I don't want that! I am a eunuch!"

[From the joke "You are greedy for her body, you are a lowly person" and "If you are not greedy for her body, you are a eunuch"]

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The war strategy in the article refers to the "First Island Chain".

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The military expenses for fighting in the Western Regions and garrisoning in the Western Regions were based on the expenses incurred by Zuo Zongtang in recovering Xinjiang and the subsequent garrison.

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Ahem, some hell jokes.

Zhu Di, who rose to power through the Jingnan Rebellion, heard that there was a "conflict between uncle and nephew" in the Timurid Empire and that Timurid's fourth son Shah Rukh had launched an army to "peace the country" and driven his nephew Hari off the throne. He issued an edict specifically hoping that the uncle and nephew could "be a close family, love each other, stop fighting and calm the people, preserve their flesh and blood, and share the blessing of peace."

[Samarkand chieftain Hari was the son of chieftain Halie's elder brother. The two did not get along and fought each other several times. When the emperor saw his envoys coming back, he ordered the commander-in-chief Bai'er Xintai to bring him an imperial edict, saying: "Heaven created the people and established the king, so that each of them could live his life. I rule the world and treat everyone equally, regardless of distance. I have sent envoys to inform you many times. You are able to perform your duties and tributes faithfully, comfort the people, and live in peace on the western border. I am very pleased with you. I heard that you and your cousin Hari were fighting and hostile to each other, and I felt sorry for you. Family members are close and loving to each other, which is enough to resist foreign aggression. Even those who are close to you can still be rebellious, so how can those who are distant from you be harmonious? From now on, you should stop fighting and rest the people, protect your flesh and blood, and share the blessing of peace." He gave Hari colored coins inside and outside, and ordered him to stop fighting, and also gave him colored coins.

——"History of Ming Dynasty"

＊

Chapter 57 These kids are so weird, who do they take after?

The problem of the national treasury will be solved soon. The ruler and his ministers of Daxia have been walking with great speed these past two days. They smile at everyone they meet, and their grins are very conspicuous.

Especially the Minister of Revenue...

"Shangshu, this is an official document..."

"How do you know that there will be money in the treasury?"

"Ah? No..."

"How do you know I won't be called a miser anytime soon?"

"I......"

"Guess why I'm so happy?"

As the clerk in charge of delivering documents, Xu Yanmiao placed the official document on the desk of the Minister of Personnel and looked at Princess Wanshou (the clerk of the Ministry of Revenue) with sympathy as she was being held by the Minister of Revenue.

Then......

【hey-hey!】

【Attack Japan! 】

【hey-hey!】

Xu Yanmiao bowed to the Minister of Personnel, hummed a tune in his heart, and walked out of the temporary office.

It is now May and a typhoon is approaching. Daxia cannot send out troops for the time being, but after a few months, the Baochuan Factory and the Ministry of Works, Ministry of War, and Ministry of Revenue will be ready, and the troops can be led by Marquis Yongchang.

He ran into the newly appointed head of the Ministry of Justice head-on.

——The one who had just been promoted from the magistrate of Qingpu County.

The other party: "You..."

The chief official of the Ministry of Justice was of a higher rank than him, so Xu Yanmiao bowed according to etiquette and said, "Greetings, chief official."

The other party didn't say anything. Xu Yanmiao glanced at him and a question mark appeared on his forehead.

Why do I feel that this person's eyes are very... complicated?

Suddenly someone shouted not far away: "Xu Lang!"

Xu Yanmiao glanced sideways, a little surprised, and quickly stepped forward: "Mr. Zhong, what are you doing..."

The chief eunuch smiled and said, "The Emperor is looking for Xu Lang. Please follow me quickly."

＊

After entering the house where the old emperor lived, Xu Yanmiao received a signal from the chief eunuch and walked straight to the old emperor's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Xu Yanmiao pushed the door open and went in: "Your Majesty..."

"Okay, stop with all this nonsense. Come here and write something for me."

Xu Yanmiao was confused, but still sat down in front of the small desk and wrote the word "En" with a brush.

The old emperor took a look and said jokingly, "You are quite upright. You even asked a clerk to write for you when you copied official documents. I thought you couldn't write with a brush."

Xu Yanmiao paused for a moment, then managed to say, "I practice it regularly."

After discovering that he had traveled to ancient times, he had been practicing on purpose. Although he could not imitate the original owner's calligraphy, at least he could write.

The old emperor smiled and tapped the pile of memorials beside him with his pen: "Come, help me review them. There are too many, thousands of them. I can't read them all by myself."

Xu Yanmiao was in doubt: "Your Majesty is saying that you want me to..."

The old emperor explained: "Don't think too much, just review those things you can review." He picked up a memorial and said, "For example, this one asks 'Your Majesty, have you eaten? How is your appetite recently?' You can reply for me 'I have eaten and my appetite is very good.' Similarly, you can reply whatever you want, just don't curse. As for the serious matters, you don't need to write, just move them over and put them on my left hand side."

Xu Yanmiao was completely stunned.

When he moved the mountain of memorials on the table to his side, his expression was one of shock and confusion.

[And... there is still this kind of nonsense?! When the emperor is busy with all kinds of affairs, shouldn't he be dealing with the important matters? ]

Xu Yanmiao picked up the first memorial and looked down.

"Your Majesty, be well."

Then there is nothing else.

Xu Yanmiao: "..."

He silently picked up the pen and wrote "朕安" neatly at the back.

Take the second one.

"Your Majesty, the lychees here are ripe. Do you like to eat lychees? I ask the post station to send some every year."

Xu Yanmiao was conflicted for a moment.

[Well! The old emperor doesn't like to waste money and manpower, so he refuses! ]

Then write 'I don't like it, no need' at the end.

The emperor paused while reviewing an important memorial, raised his eyebrows slightly, and couldn't help smiling.

This kid...

Xu Yanmiao picked up the third book.

'Your Majesty, my enemy is ill! I am extremely happy and would like to share this good news with Your Majesty!'

[Hey! I like this!] Xu Yanmiao's eyes lit up and he started gossiping: [Ah, this...]

The old emperor paused with his pen tip and pricked up his ears.

[The reason for the enmity was that he had to go out with a cold, and he didn't bring enough handkerchiefs with him, so he kept having a runny nose, so he asked the other party to borrow one. Although the other party was not a mysophobe, he couldn't accept using a handkerchief that was close to his body to blow his nose, and he refused to do so, which resulted in his face being covered with snot in public that day! ]

The old emperor clicked his tongue in his heart.

Can this make you an enemy?

[Pfft, now that I finally caught my 'enemy', he has caught a cold, so I deliberately carried fifty handkerchiefs on my back, intending to use one in front of him and throw one away.]

The old emperor took a sip of tea and judged in his heart: How stingy.

[Ah! This!]

The old emperor paused again as he was about to approve an important matter. His eyes wandered, his attention drifting towards Xu Yanmiao.

[We are going to offer honey-soaked dried mangoes to the old emperor. It sounds delicious.]

The old emperor nodded.

really.

[But I still reject it... It feels similar to the one about sending lychees? It's both a waste of manpower...]

The old emperor's eyes widened.

No! I want to eat!

[Or, let him take it with him when he goes to Beijing for the New Year. He has to go to Beijing anyway.]

The old emperor couldn't help but nodded.

Half an hour later...

"Xu Yanmiao."

Xu Yanmiao raised his head suddenly: "Your Majesty?"

The old emperor looked at the important matters that he had only approved two of, and reluctantly said: "Pick out the memorials and take them back for approval."

If I keep reading, I won't be able to finish today's work.

How come he wasn't so attracted to these nonsense when he read them, but just felt annoyed? Why couldn't he help but listen to Xu Yanmiao's recitation in his mind?

Xu Yanmiao blinked blankly: "Yes...I obey your order."

He lowered his head and put away the memorials.

[Eh? How come there is a memorial from a consort? Aren't consorts not allowed to be officials? Oh! He is the consort of the old emperor's eldest daughter, Princess Fangling... Awesome! He is the number one scholar! He passed the first imperial examination after the founding of the country! At that time, there was no law that consorts could not be officials. This law seems to have been established in the seventh year of Tiantong.]

[Let me see what the Prince Consort wrote...]

[There were thieves who plundered various counties and could not be controlled for a long time. A woman took advantage of her drunkenness to kill him... So I submitted a petition to ask for credit for him? ]

【This should be the real thing. 】

Xu Yanmiao put it next to the old emperor. As soon as he handed it over, he saw the old emperor took it and seemed to read ten lines at a glance. He picked up the pen and wrote something after just a few breaths.

[Is it enough to just write "read"? 】

I took a secret look and found that the old emperor had actually read the content and finally approved "conferring her the title of Madam Chongyi".

[Is this the emperor's eyesight? Can he read hundreds of words at a glance?!]

Hearing Xu Yanmiao's startled voice, the old emperor felt that his mood was more relaxed than eating ice cream in the hot summer. He coughed and said, "Xu Yanmiao, I haven't seen the princess for a long time. She and her husband are in Liaodong Dusi, but not in Fuzhouwei. They are probably seven or eight hundred miles away... What do you think?"

The college students still have some brains to work with: "This is your Majesty's family affair."

——You can meet me if you want.

The old emperor nodded with satisfaction and became cheerful.

He made up his mind to set off tomorrow to see his only surviving daughter who had not caused any trouble.

His Fang Ling! For half his life! She has never made him worry! Compared with the second, fifth, and eighteenth sons, this is the dignified and self-respecting daughter who can really make him feel at ease!

This is the child who looks most like him!

＊

This happy mood lasted until the next day.

"Someone is chasing us! Please ask the senior officials to help us!"

A woman with her son took advantage of a gap and rushed in. When she was stopped by the Jinyiwei, she knelt down immediately.

She didn't seem to recognize that the person in front of her was the emperor, but when she saw them coming out of the yamen, she took a gamble.

"Sir! I want to sue the current prince consort! I want to sue him for abandoning his wife and children! He killed his wife and exterminated his heirs!"

The old emperor did not deliberately clear the people near the government office. At this moment, the woman's screams could be clearly heard from several streets away. In addition, the content of the screams involved human relations, which was very explosive. Many people opened their mouths stupidly and looked out.

"Is this true? A prince consort? Abandoning his wife and children?"

"Hiss... Do you remember the play that was very popular a few years ago? The prince consort had married in his hometown, but lied to the emperor and said that he was not married yet, so he was able to marry the princess. Later, his wife from his hometown came to him with her child. Not only did the prince consort drive her away, he also sent people to hunt her down, wanting to make sure there was no evidence."

"This... is it true that there is no smoke without fire?"

"How cruel!"

"But this woman looks quite old. The man next to her should be her son, who looks to be thirty years old. How old is the prince consort? The prince consort in the opera is only about twenty years old."

"When this child was a few decades ago, he was probably about the same age!"

The woman was covered in dirt and dust, with not a single spot on her body. At this moment, she kowtowed again and again, her lips trembling, and she described incoherently, obviously frightened: "Please, sir, help me! My husband is the emperor's son-in-law. He abandoned me and my son and married the princess. I didn't dare to compete with the princess for a man, so I just stayed in the countryside with my son and never left. Thirty years had passed without any trouble, but who knew that a few days ago, someone suddenly set fire to my house. If my mother and I hadn't gone to the county town, I would have died there! Today, I overturned the rice bowl while eating, and it was eaten by the neighbor's dog, which died immediately! He was the one who set the fire and poisoned them! It must have been him! I have always been timid and dare not even blush in front of others, let alone offend people! My son is also a simpleton and has no temper with anyone!"

Her foolish son followed her and kowtowed behind her, shouting, "Please help me! Please help me!"

The old emperor looked angry.

Thirty years ago, only his two daughters found prince consorts. Qinghe and Jisui were in a fake marriage, so it was impossible for them to do such a thing. So it could only be Fangling...

"Come here!" After the old emperor heard what the woman said, he did not believe it directly, but just said, "Go and invite the prince consort over, and don't disturb Princess Fangling."

With a flick of his sleeves, the old emperor turned and walked into the yamen. Behind him, the woman kowtowed in gratitude, but after a few kowtows, she was also taken in by the Jinyiwei.

＊

The prince consort came on horseback, exhausted. It was obvious that the Jinyiwei had already told him what happened on the way. As soon as he entered the government office, he lifted his robe and knelt down. Without even glancing at the woman, he shouted, "Your Majesty! I have never had a wife or children. Please investigate!"

When she heard the word "Your Majesty", the woman looked at the hall with wide eyes as if a duck had its neck stepped on. "Your Majesty... Your Majesty? The high official I begged for turned out to be Your Majesty?!"

Then, she realized what her husband had said, and she cried out in a broken heart, "Yan Lang, even if you don't acknowledge me, you must acknowledge your child! When he was born, you were preparing for the imperial examination, and you didn't even hold him a few times! Now you are so cruel, you don't acknowledge him, and you want to kill him!"

The people were still not driven away. They poked their heads outside the yamen several times before they could clearly see the situation in the center of the yamen.

The consort Yan Chun was already over fifty years old, with handsome eyebrows, long beard, and a slender figure, and he still had the demeanor of a former top scholar. Even though he had been in Liaodong for more than twenty years, his demeanor was still intact, and he looked even more calm and graceful.

But because of this, the ragged and barefoot woman next to him looked even more miserable.

Many officials have begun to feel sorry for the woman.

The prince consort was being roasted on the fire like this, but he didn't seem embarrassed. He just said calmly: "Madam, I don't know you."

The woman's face was extremely pale. "Beiyang Village, Boye County, Baoding Prefecture, Yan Lang, have you been so cruel as to forget about it?"

The prince consort spoke calmly and logically: "My household registration is not a secret, anyone with a keen eye can check it out. If you can use this to say that you are my first wife, then doesn't that mean I can marry anyone?"

So mischievous!

A few people coughed here and there on the field to cover up their smiles.

The woman was stunned for a moment, then cried and said, "The child can be identified with you by blood."

The prince consort said, "Your Majesty has long told the world that blood test is absurd and cannot be accurate. Even if there is no blood relationship, blood can be mixed together."

The woman's eyes were blank.

An official expressed dissatisfaction: "How could a country woman know this? The prince consort is really deceiving us."

Yan Chun smiled and said, "Minister Liu is so righteous! Why don't you set an example yourself and do a blood test with her son first?"

Minister Liu: "..." He made himself look awkward, choked for a long time, and said nothing more.

I haven't seen my husband for so long that I actually forgot about the relationship between the princess and him. One was known for being competitive, and the other for being sharp-tongued. Damn it!

The woman stared blankly and thought for a long time, then suddenly became excited: "Your Majesty! I have evidence!"

She was so sure that the prince consort felt a sudden pang in his heart for no reason.

Then, the woman was heard shouting, "There is a birthmark on Yan Lang's vest, which looks like a three-petal plum blossom! It's more delicate than embroidery! I don't know him, I haven't slept with him, how can I know this!"

Prince Consort: "..."

Everyone clearly saw that the prince consort, who had been calm and at ease since entering the room, changed his expression.

The Jinyiwei received a signal from the old emperor to take the man to the back to undress and check.

The prince consort followed silently for a few steps, then suddenly stopped, turned around, knelt down, and bowed to the old emperor.

"No need to check." The prince consort said decisively: "Your Majesty, I did it!"

...

Xu Yanmiao saw a group of people surrounding the yamen from a distance. "He admitted it," "It's actually ***," "Wow! *** in the court is so angry," "What a high-ranking official! ***'s his daughter, any daughter would be angry if she met ***," "That prince consort is a beast." The whispering voices could be heard from a long distance away, but some words were still hard to hear clearly.

"!!!"

Xu Yanmiao was instantly filled with passion, and he grabbed the hand of the clerk of the Ministry of War and almost dragged him away: "This concerns a senior official! I don't know what it is! Let's go! Let's go and watch the fun!"

The military clerk's eyes lit up: "I wonder what high-ranking official he is..."

After getting through the crowds of people at the government gate and then getting out, the two people said, "Uh..."

This... the emperor's liveliness, doesn't it seem inappropriate?

Xu Yanmiao and the clerk of the Ministry of War looked at each other.

"How about..."

"Walk......"

Suddenly, a familiar voice of the prince came from the crowd: "Make way! Make way! Please make way! I am an official! Please let me pass! Thank you very much!"

Then......

"I don't know what the excitement is!"

Although he lowered his voice and there was only a hint of excitement in his tone, Xu Yanmiao still heard it.

[Maybe... probably...]

...Xu Yanmiao?

A hint of surprise flashed across the prince's eyes, but before he could react, he was pushed by the people behind him, and he staggered a few steps and rushed to the front of the crowd.

My vision was still swaying, and I hadn't seen the situation in the government office clearly, when I heard a sentence:

[Is it the bustle of your home? ]

"?!"

The prince suddenly looked up and saw his sister's consort kneeling in the hall, his clothes and hair seemed to be wet with sweat.

The prince's eyes suddenly widened.

Whose house collapsed? !

Oh, it turns out that my house collapsed!

My father's voice came from the yamen: "Come in!" I looked closely and saw my father smiling sinisterly, revealing a mouthful of snow-white teeth.

Just want to watch the fun, huh?

Pretending to be an official to lead the way, right?

Come in!

"Xu Yanmiao! And you!"

Xu Yanmiao, who had already shrunk half of his body, silently stuck his head out again and walked into the yamen with his head lowered. Next to him was the prince who also had his head hung.

"And you..." The old emperor looked at the clerk of the Ministry of War and thought for two breaths: "Um... Lian Hang, come in too."

Military Department Secretary: "..."

He swore that if it weren't for Xu Yanmiao, His Majesty would never know who he was!

Normally, it's a good thing to be remembered by His Majesty, but at this time...

The clerk of the Ministry of War looked at Xu Yanmiao's back in front of him with resentment and accusation, as if every step he took was like stepping on a fireball that could explode at any time.

He would rather His Majesty not remember his name!

＊

When they arrived at the court, the prince laughed awkwardly: "Dad, what happened to my brother-in-law? What mistake did he make?"

The old emperor's brows rose in anger. "What's wrong?! Your brother-in-law deceived your sister and me! When I asked him if he was married before the marriage banquet, he said he was not! Now thirty years have passed, and his ex-wife actually came to him! Not only did he abandon his wife and children! He also sent people to hunt down the mother and son! He even asked the mother and son to report to the authorities!"

"I'm going to chop off his head! No one is allowed to beg for mercy!"

Hearing this answer unexpectedly, the prince's face was filled with obvious surprise, and then he was deeply angry.

The son-in-law of the emperor's wife was not allowed to be an official. However, when his brother-in-law became the son-in-law of the emperor, there was no such law in Daxia - this was established in the seventh year of Tiantong, and Yan Chun was the first top scorer in the imperial examination in the fourth year of Tiantong.

The prince had a very deep relationship with his eldest sister, who was his only relative of similar age. He knew very well how proud and competitive his eldest sister was.

When the prince was young, he went out to buy food. The boss liked him and gave him an extra steamed bread. The next day, when the eldest sister went to buy food, she worked as a juggler for half a day and bought two more steamed bread with the money.

Recalling his childhood with his elder sister who was always strong-willed, the prince concealed his pain for a moment and quickly brought his memory back to the present.

How dare Yan slap my eldest sister in the face like this——

The prince walked over, raised his hand and slapped the prince consort.

[Abandon, abandon wife and children?! ]

Xu Yanmiao was so shocked that her heart almost dropped.

[But she is a female emperor consort! ]

[It's ok to abandon her wife, but why did she abandon her son? ]

The prince's slap just brushed the tip of the prince consort's nose.

The prince hissed as he exerted too much force and covered his waist with his backhand.

OK... I think I got it twisted...

Yan Chun was a local official and could not hear the inner voice. He just thought that the prince was considering the princess's face. He lowered his eyes, was silent for a moment, and said calmly: "Yes, I did it. I did abandon my wife and children. She pointed out that there was a birthmark on my heart... It is true, there is no need to check."

"The princess is truly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life. She is extremely beautiful and talented, like a fairy from heaven. I will risk my life to get her!"

Prince: "...This."

Seeing people around talking about it, some people have already started discussing how outstanding the eldest princess is.

The prince looked at his "brother-in-law" with an indescribable look.

Even when she was about to die, she still did not forget to flatter the eldest princess in front of everyone. Very good. Now he knew how his eldest sister, who had been so strong all her life, had been so loving with her husband for decades.

The old emperor quickly came to his senses.

No wonder she admitted to the so-called "abandoning her wife and children". She was afraid that if she took off her clothes, the fact that she was a woman would be exposed.

Old Emperor: "..."

His eldest daughter is not the type to tolerate not sleeping in the same bed for thirty years, so...

The wonderful ideas that Xu Yanmiao came up with while absent-mindedly during court sessions every day flashed through the old emperor's mind.

Could it be that he hired guards to pretend that she and the princess had consummated their marriage after lights were turned off every day? !

The old emperor was shocked and angry!

The old emperor was furious!

The old emperor was furious!

Xu Yanmiao: [How strange, she will die anyway, why would she admit to this crime... Oh, she had made up her mind before coming here, if she really can't get away with it and will die anyway, then she will choose a way to die that will least damage the princess's face. Being deceived into marriage is better than marrying a woman.]

Old Emperor: "......?" Why does it sound like his daughter knows about it?

Could it be that......

The old emperor followed his thoughts painfully and came to the conclusion: Could it be that his daughter knew that this was a female prince consort and was willing to conceal it for her? !

He slowly, slowly held his forehead.

The eldest daughter married a female prince consort.

The second daughter likes to play role-playing games and is also engaged in contract marriage.

The fifth daughter, before she came to her senses, allowed her husband to bully and abuse her, and she was deeply in love with him without knowing why.

The younger daughter was spoiled and became very willful. She even dared to trouble her father, the emperor, in order to become an official.

...Does he still have a gentle, well-behaved, sensible, obedient and virtuous daughter? ? ?

These kids are so weird, who do they take after?

"father!!!"

The old emperor blurted out: "Nonsense!"

I don't let him do that!

Then I felt a lot of strange and puzzled looks.

"..."

The old emperor came back to his senses and looked carefully. He found that there was another person in the hall. The other person stood in front of the prince consort and knelt down to salute. He looked to be only about 40 years old, with cold eyebrows and eyes, and full of momentum: "Dad! The prince consort has never lied to the emperor. This person is really a false accusation!"

The prince consort was surprised and said, "Princess!"

Oh, it was his eldest daughter. The old emperor gnashed his teeth in frustration. Looking at her disheveled hair and uneven breathing, it was obvious that she had ridden all the way here. Was she so anxious?!

The old emperor: "Did you not deceive me?"

The princess said flatly: "No!"

The old emperor: "Haha."

Disguising as a man is not considered deceiving the emperor? I really believed your lies.

He couldn't settle this account with his daughter in public, so the old emperor pinched his nose and asked, "Do you have any evidence?"

We can't let the prince consort...well, we can't let that guy named Yan take off his clothes in public, right?

"Yes!" Princess Fangling said firmly: "When my father asked me how to choose a prince consort, I said I wanted the best. At that time, Yan Chun was the top scholar, so he was the best——"

"Hmm..." The old emperor nodded.

Princess Fangling: "But I was afraid that he might have done something in the past that would embarrass me, so I sent people to his hometown to investigate him thoroughly."

"Huh???" The old emperor was confused: "When did it happen?"

Even the prince consort was stunned and almost blurted out "what".

Princess Fangling stated calmly: "The second day of the Qionglin Banquet."

Princess Fangling remained calm. "The results of the investigation are in my bedroom in the palace. It's a scroll from thirty years ago. I'm afraid it's too old to be recognized. It contains his life from childhood to adulthood, which should prove that he was not married thirty years ago. Now that I'm here, it's impossible for me to falsify it in advance. Please understand, Your Majesty!"

The old emperor opened his mouth.

Xu Yanmiao helped him to speak out——

【What the hell! 】

[No wonder the system mentioned her as... "Princess Fangling, who has been very competitive all her life." ]

The author has something to say:

Xu Yanmiao: (⊙o⊙)

She truly is the princess who looks most like Your Majesty!

The old emperor: This is slander! Xu Yanmiao, you are talking nonsense!

＊

PS: I was not very satisfied with the writing of this chapter, so I revised it and added nearly three thousand words, all of which were put in this chapter. The extra content will not be charged for a second time, as a token of my appreciation to the readers who have already read it.

＊

As for nonsense memorials, you can search them online. I won't list them one by one. Just search "nonsense memorials" directly.

＊

Wei Heng's wife, Wang, was from Pi, Zizhou. At the beginning of the Wude era, Fang Qidi, a former general of Xue Rengao, invaded Liang County and captured Wang, forcing her to marry him. Later, Qidi became increasingly powerful, and Heng planned to use the city to fight the enemy. Qidi led his generals to Liangzhou, but before they had reached a few dozen miles, he drank and fell asleep drunk. Wang took his sword and killed him, and took his head into the city, and the enemy dispersed. Emperor Gaozu was very pleased and named her Lady Chongyi, pardoning Heng for being an accomplice to the enemy.

——"Old Book of Tang"

＊

The emperor's eldest daughter can also be named Princess:

A few months after Emperor Xiaowen was enthroned, the ministers requested that a crown prince be appointed, and Dou Ji's eldest son was the oldest, so he was appointed crown prince. Dou Ji was appointed empress, and Nv Piao was appointed eldest princess.

——Records of the Grand Historian

＊

Fireball:

Right Thunderbolt Fireball, use two or three sections of dry bamboo, one and a half inches in diameter, without cracks, leaving the sections intact, use thirty pieces of thin porcelain as big as iron coins, mix three or four pounds of gunpowder, wrap the bamboo into a ball, leaving about an inch of bamboo at both ends, and apply gunpowder on the outside of the ball (applying gunpowder on the outside, note the fireball). If the enemy attacks the city through a tunnel, we will dig a hole in the ground to meet them, use a fire cone to burn the ball, and the sound will be like thunderbolt, and then use a bamboo fan to fan the smoke and flames to fumigate the enemy (add licorice to the ball)

——"Wu Jing Zong Yao"

＊

Chapter 58 Tea Minister! You forced me to do this!

Then, Xu Yanmiao heard someone outside shouting -

"The scroll can be made old!"

Xu Yanmiao was stunned for a moment, and before he could react, three or five Jinyiwei had already rushed out.

After a while, the Jinyiwei came back nervously, and there was no one behind him. It was obvious that no one was caught.

The people outside the yamen have been incited.

"Could it be that the emperor wants to help the princess protect her husband?"

"After all, he is his son-in-law. Don't we always say that a son-in-law is half a son?"

"Yes, and His Majesty is the princess's father! He can help the princess conceal it if he wants to!"

"Isn't this Ji Gu? Ji Gu has Qi Qingtian, but this guy has nothing! How pitiful!"

Ji Gu is the unlucky and pitiful original wife in "The Case of the Prince Consort", the most popular opera in Daxia in the past two years. She is filial to the prince consort's parents and raises his children. She is simple, kind and loyal, and is deeply loved by the people.

In the opera, after she sued her husband, the princess wanted to use her status to protect him. However, a judge named Qi was not afraid of power and used the imperial sword to behead the husband in public.

It is also a plot of punishing evil and promoting good that people like to watch.

But now that the opera has been reflected in reality, it seems to have the opposite ending.

——The common people are particularly uncomfortable with this.

＊

"If so, how do you deal with it——"

In the palace of Prince Jibei, there was a very deep and secluded forest with a wooden house in it. Whenever Prince Jibei needed to think about something, he would dismiss his attendants, sit in the wooden house and concentrate quietly.

"Gao Jianyi?"

The wooden window was half open, leaves rustled, and the shadows of the trees were reflected on the face of King Jibei, a mixture of light and shadow.

"You must be feeling very uncomfortable now! I prepared this killing move two years in advance, and even had someone write a play script to spread it in advance. Now the people are very angry about the prince consort who killed his wife and son, and suddenly they find that the play script has come true in the real world. Let's see how you are going to protect your daughter and son-in-law!"

"And that prince!"

Whenever he thought of the crown prince, the King of Jibei felt so angry that his teeth itched.

How could there be a person like Gao Xian in the world! He didn't worry about his unstable position, and he was calm even when he was provoked and had a lame leg! He was so cunning that he was rarely seen in his life.

How could Gao Jianyi have such an outstanding son!

"I just don't believe it! Your sister was deceived. You, who have the deepest feelings for her, won't you be angry? You won't be so angry that you will vomit blood!"

＊

The prince was in perfect health both physically and mentally, and he could even look at the old emperor cautiously: "Dad..."

How are you?

Are you not so angry that you vomit blood?

The old emperor breathed slowly and exhaled slowly: "I..."

In the past two days, Xu Yanmiao helped the old emperor review memorials, and his response was simply a conditioned reflex: [I am well.]

Old Emperor: "..."

The rest of the words got stuck in my throat and couldn't come out.

Then the old emperor said unhappily: "I am uneasy!"

[The old emperor is so miserable...]

Xu Yanmiao had no idea why the other party said that he was uneasy.

Now, he was full of sympathy for the old emperor.

[That's right, I should be worried. After all, I suddenly found out that my son-in-law has a first wife. Although I don't know whether it's better to misunderstand that my son-in-law has a first wife, or to know that my daughter is the first wife, but my son-in-law is actually a girl.]

The old emperor gritted his teeth.

None of them are good!

Can't you give me a normal son-in-law! Give my daughter a normal marriage?

He frowned and looked down the hall, then suddenly froze.

——Perhaps it was because of his words "I feel uneasy", his eldest daughter, who was sharp, competitive, and rarely showed her softness, looked at him with a rare sense of guilt.

The old emperor coughed and said, "Fang Ling..." He got stuck halfway through his sentence.

What should he say? When did you know that the consort was a woman? You couldn't have found out when you went to the consort's hometown to investigate and then just let it go, right?

"Dad..." Princess Fangling said with certainty, "The Prince Consort has definitely not abandoned his wife and children! Don't worry!"

What are you assured about? Are you assured that the prince consort is not a second-hand product?

The old emperor and Princess Fangling looked at each other and instantly understood what their daughter really meant.

Dad! Don't worry! I will never bring shame to myself or our family!

Princess Fangling's eyes suddenly turned to the woman, and she said sternly, "How did you, a peasant woman with nothing, travel thousands of miles from Baoding to Liaodong? And why didn't you report to the authorities inland, but instead crossed the Bohai Sea and came to Fuzhou City?"

The woman seemed to be frightened by the princess's harsh voice. She leaned back and fell to the ground, trembling: "Concubine... Concubine..."

I have been thinking for a long time, but I just can't come up with anything.

Xu Yanmiao almost wanted to applaud this princess.

[That's right! From Baoding to Fuzhou, it's almost two thousand miles. She might as well go to the capital to file a complaint to the emperor instead of running so far to report to the authorities.]

[It's really hard to explain.]

[Moreover, the son-in-law is the governor of Liaodong. She didn't even know where the enemy was before reporting to the authorities? Isn't she afraid of officials protecting each other? ]

Your idea is good, but it's mine now.

The old emperor gave a look to the ministers below, and one of them stood up and, as if to echo the princess' words, questioned the woman, "Do you know that the princess's husband is the governor of Liaodong? Aren't you afraid that she will have absolute power in Liaodong?"

The woman seemed to look at the emperor and the princess hesitantly, then lowered her head in panic, looking at her toes, and seemed to be very hesitant: "Yes... yes... what the senior official said is right, it's all my fault for not thinking enough, and the princess... Your Majesty said there is proof, then there is proof... I... I wronged the prince consort."

The people regarded her as the incarnation of "Ji Gu" and became even more excited. However, they did not dare to complain to the emperor. Instead, they shouted that someone would come to uphold justice for her and told her not to back down.

The woman turned around and looked at the people with gratitude in her eyes. Then she quickly turned back, lowered her head and shed tears, remaining silent.

Xu Yanmiao was amazed: [What a good tea! ]

Xu Yanmiao was anxious: [Little Tea Girl, come on! Let her know what real tea is! ]

Minister of Rites: ???

Polite you?

There was a crisp sound from her finger joints, and the young tea girl with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes had no expression on her face.

The Minister of Rites could not help but nudge the Minister of Rites with his elbow, his eyes darting, "Go ahead! Little Tea Girl!"

The Minister of Rites narrowed his eyes and chuckled twice: "Shaoqing, you are really joking. Shaoqing is more experienced in dealing with the affairs of lovers' original wives."

The Minister of Rites, who had sworn brotherhood with the barbarian general not long ago: "..."

Speak less, no one will think you are dumb!

Minister of Rites: "Besides, Shaoqing, don't be a joke. How could anyone be so stupid as to eat her..."

Just as the word "套" was about to come to his lips, a tall and handsome figure stood out.

"Your Highness!" It was Minister Liu again, frowning slightly. He stood in front of the woman and shielded her from the gaze of Princess Ling. "I am just a peasant woman, and I really can't stand the majesty of the princess. Please be more patient, Your Highness, and don't be so aggressive."

The Minister of Rites was stunned.

The Shaoqing of Taichang was stunned.

The emperor, other officials, and the prince were also stunned.

return......

[Some people really fall for this! ]

Xu Yanmiao was shocked.

Xu Yanmiao was amazed.

Xu Yanmiao shouted in her heart: [Wow! So kind to women! ]

The rulers and ministers of Daxia had actually been curious about this for a long time.

Xu Yanmiao - How on earth could he do such a thing, telling lies with his eyes open?

Minister Liu was shocked and quickly distanced himself from her: "She is just an ordinary peasant woman. I just feel pity for the weak."

Princess Fangling glanced at him and thought he was incomprehensible: "What does this have to do with me?"

Minister Liu smiled awkwardly: "I'm afraid Your Highness will misunderstand."

——In fact, I was afraid of being misunderstood by my colleagues.

He glanced sideways at the woman. She was not a beauty, nor did she have any charm. She was just a peasant woman, the kind you would see in the fields, busy planting rice seedlings.

Minister Liu emphasized: "I really just pity the weak!"

But don't ever lump him together with this old peasant woman!

When I turned my head again, I found that Xu Yanmiao's eyes were brighter and his eyelids twitched.

[It really seems like there is something fishy going on here! ]

Minister Liu took a deep breath.

Calm down and don't bother with this kid Xu Yanmiao!

Minister Liu said to himself three times: What does this kid know? He is just here to watch the fun! Only then did he suppress the depression in his chest.

Behind him, a woman's voice suddenly sounded timidly: "Thank you, sir. I...I..."

Minister Liu quickly came back to his senses and patiently comforted him: "Take your time, don't be anxious. If you are really wronged, His Majesty will definitely make the decision for you."

At this moment, Minister Liu seemed to be shining with light.

He had a smile on his lips, and his whole body was gentle and elegant, like an orchid and a jade tree.

Outside the government office, the people praised it unanimously.

"This officer is great!"

"This is a good official!"

Minister Liu's smile deepened.

He is also the Vice Minister of Rites. He Bi - that is, the little tea girl - is the Left Vice Minister of Rites, and he is the Right Vice Minister of Rites. Seeing that the Minister of Rites is getting old, he will probably retire in the next two years.

Both of them can compete for the position of Shangshu! Originally, he and He Bi were equally matched, evenly matched! This man actually got close to the general, ugh! How shameless!

Tea Servant! You forced me to do this!

Since you are the first, don't blame me for being the fifteenth, trying to gain a good reputation and stepping on you to get to the top!

Aren't the people regretting that there is no Qi Qingtian?

Wait! Liu Qingtian is here!

[Hey! No wonder he doesn't give the old emperor face! It turns out he has a criminal record! ]

What?

The old emperor's anger quickly subsided under his curiosity.

Minister Liu has a criminal record? Why doesn't he remember it?

If it was an official who spoke frankly and gave advice, it is impossible for him not to have any impression of it.

[This is more than one criminal record! ]

The prince glanced at Minister Liu and found that he also had a very confused expression.

At that time, I was eager to watch the fun.

What kind of criminal record is this? Even he has forgotten about it!

Many officials present were eagerly waiting for Xu Yanmiao to reveal the news!

Xu Yanmiao cut the melon very skillfully and sighed in his heart.

【Cheering for the Prince Consort in the matter of Princess Wanshou! 】

[It is not reasonable to write a letter to Princess Xiangyang when she is getting divorced! ]

"hiss--"

Really? !

The prince straightened up, tilted his neck forward, and his eyes flashed with shock.

No way! It can't be what he thinks!

With the help of Xu Yanmiao, some officials have remembered that there really was such a person, and he was everywhere! The main point is participation!

[When Ji Sui contacted that virtuous lady, he was the one who received her! ]

【besides--】

[When the prince of Jibei showed off his belt, he had the honor of touching it with his own hands! ]

Officials on the scene: "!!!"

They pinched their own flesh hard. Some of them were so cruel to themselves that they would pinch and rotate their flesh 360 degrees.

Can't laugh!

Absolutely no laughing!

Otherwise, if he can't find a reason to suddenly burst out laughing for no reason to deal with Xiao Bai Ze, and the other party finds out that his true feelings have been leaked, Your Majesty will skin them alive!

In the hall.

The old emperor couldn't laugh.

No, this person is not crazy, right? Is he always against me?

＊

"I don't know where this is, or what Liaodong is. Thirty years ago, after my husband became a royal consort, I was afraid that he would kill me, so I took the children and headed north. Later, we saw the sea and passed the island. We felt it was far enough, so we settled down in a village here."

——Thirty years ago, the old emperor had not yet issued an order to compile a list, and the population in various places was still chaotic. It was not difficult to leave your hometown and move to other places. As long as you had feet to walk and money to rent/buy a house, you could do it.

The woman mustered up her courage to finish her explanation, as if she was very dependent on Minister Liu: "Sir, that's it... Sir?"

There has been no response yet.

The woman raised her head hesitantly.

"Stop yelling..."

I may not be a high-ranking official soon.

Minister Liu felt like crying but had no tears.

My family has no background, so I can only fight for my own future! I just want to take advantage of the reputation of Qingtian and become a minister, so why do I have to dig so much into it?

The author has something to say:

On women dressing as men in history:

Before this, a Dongyang woman named Lou Cheng disguised herself as a man. She had a rough understanding of Go and literary righteousness. She visited many officials and became a member of the Yangzhou Council. When the incident was exposed, Emperor Ming ordered her to return to the east. Cheng dressed up as a woman and left. He sighed and said, "Such a skill, but she is still an old woman. Isn't it a pity?"

——"History of the Southern Dynasties"

＊

Tomb of Huang Chonggu of Tang Dynasty

Chonggu was a talented girl from Xingzhou. When she was young, she pretended to be a man and visited Zhou Xiang, the prime minister of Shu, with poems. Xiang loved her talent and wanted to marry her to his daughter. After Chonggu explained the poem, people knew that she was a girl.

——"Sichuan General History"

＊

Han, a virgin, was from Baoning. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Ming Yuzhen occupied Sichuan. She was afraid of being robbed, so she pretended to be a man and mixed in with the people. Then she was forced to join the army and fought for seven years. No one knew she was a virgin. After she returned from Yuzhen's conquest of Yunnan, she met her uncle who redeemed her and brought her back to Chengdu. She then disguised herself and left. All the soldiers who joined the army at the same time were surprised. In the fourth year of Hongwu, she married Yin. People in Chengdu called her Han Zhennu.

——History of Ming Dynasty

＊

Later, there was Huang Shancong, a native of Nanjing. He lost his mother at the age of thirteen. His father sold incense in Lu and Fengjian, and asked Shancong to dress as a man and travel with him for several years. After his father died, Shancong learned his trade and changed his name to Zhang Sheng. There was Li Ying, who also sold incense. He was his partner for more than a year, but he didn't know that she was a girl. Later, they returned to Nanjing together to visit his sister. At first, his sister didn't recognize him. When she asked him why, she angrily cursed, "Men and women are in a mess, which humiliates me very much." She refused to accept him. Shancong swore to die. So he called the neighbor woman to check it out, and it turned out to be a virgin. They held each other and cried bitterly, and immediately changed their clothes. The next day, Ying came. Knowing that she was a girl, she was unhappy and went home to ask her mother for marriage. Shancong refused, saying, "If I marry Ying, what will happen to melons and plums?" The neighbors persuaded him, and he insisted. The officials heard about it and helped to betroth and sentenced them to be husband and wife.

——History of Ming Dynasty

＊

Chapter 59 Hey! I suddenly had an idea! Hey! I suddenly had an idea! Hey! I thought I could do this!

Minister Liu has his own way of being an official, which, in modern terms, is to ride on the popularity of others.

As long as there are many people writing letters expressing a certain opinion, he will join in.

If the opinion pleases the emperor, the emperor will usually reward him. If the opinion annoys the emperor, he will not be the first to speak out, and usually he will not be severely punished.

Being an official is not entirely based on talent. If you have enough experience, even an ordinary person can climb up the ladder. The prerequisite is that you don't run into any trouble along the way that causes you to lose your job/life.

Thus, relying on this ability to occasionally get something for nothing, he successfully became the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

However, mediocrity is not terrible. What is terrible is people who have been mediocre all their lives. Hey! I suddenly had an idea! Hey! I suddenly had an idea! Hey! I thought about doing this!

I was thinking -

You can find a Liu Qingtian!

"My Lord!" The old emperor clenched his fist and tapped the table lightly, smiling: "How about you judge this case?"

Minister Liu's expression changed drastically.

He could have just tried to solve the case, but... looking at the old emperor's expression, Minister Liu's remaining desire to survive made him decisively admit defeat: "Your Majesty, I am stupid and cannot solve the case."

The people outside the yamen were in an uproar.

In their simple-minded concept, how could the judge not be able to solve the case?

The old emperor asked knowingly: "Then why did you stand up just now..."

Minister Liu lowered his head again and pushed away the honor that had been imposed on him: "I can't judge a case, but I can still talk."

The people's uproar grew louder, and their eyes turned toward Minister Liu with contempt.

The old emperor was satisfied.

——No one can swallow his food! If you swallow it, you have to spit it out!

However, the prince consort still has to try to get some help, preferably without exposing her identity as a woman.

Who can do this when the evidence is overwhelming?

His eyes began to scan the field.

...

Xu Yanmiao stood at the edge of the yamen lobby.

This is a perfect position to observe the whole scene, and if there is any danger, you can retreat behind everyone.

Then, he felt the old emperor's gaze fixed on him.

Xu Yanmiao: "?"

The old emperor smiled and waved at him.

Xu Yanmiao was shocked: [No way? Is this dynasty over? I thought the prime minister asked the Ministry of Personnel to investigate the thief, but now the emperor is asking a clerk in the Ministry of Personnel to solve the case? The people in the Dali Temple are not all dead yet. ]

＊

People are visual animals. When a young man as beautiful as a peach blossom came out to solve a case, the people outside the yamen cheered.

No one cared about the prince consort's initial confession. In their eyes, this was more exciting than a show on stage. They wanted to get a result, but they didn't want it to end so quickly.

Xu Yanmiao imitated what she remembered from the TV drama and slammed the gavel hard. Then, she asked the woman to show her household registration in Liaodong in a serious manner.

The old emperor was about to nod and quietly praise Xu Yanmiao for his quick mind with other ministers, when he heard Xu Yanmiao's inner voice -

[Hmm... This lady has indeed lived in Liaodong for more than 20 years and has never left. I can just take a look at her household registration. I need to use this time to think about how to end the case with the prince consort being framed.]

There was silence in the hall: "..."

The Minister of Justice took a deep breath and said with great regret: "Why can't Xu Yanmiao be allowed to leave the Ministry of Personnel?"

This is a very convenient way to solve a case! Just look at the result directly, no matter what happened in the middle, as long as it can be implicated.

The Minister of Revenue was even more regretful than him: "Yes."

The two looked at each other and sighed at the same time.

They knew that their idea was impossible to realize. Whether Xu Yanmiao went to the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Justice, it would cause a major earthquake and make everyone feel insecure.

Xu Yanmiao was a rather casual person, always saying in his heart that he wanted to "lay down" and "be a lazy fish", but he had one advantage, which was that he was good at doing his job. When he was in the position of clerk in the Ministry of Personnel, he never slacked off in his job - handing over and issuing official documents.

And if he were placed in the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Justice, he would certainly use the power of the artifact to check the account books and observe the cases. In this way, countless corrupt officials would be brought down and countless people involved in the case would be unmasked.

It looks like a good thing, but...

The two ministers looked at each other again, and could only see helplessness in each other.

Sometimes, being too transparent and too revealing does not necessarily lead to clear politics. It is more likely to lead to the opposite trend and collective corruption - anyway, you know I haven't broken the law, I just do my job so-so.

When the water is too clear, there will be no fish.

＊

Xu Yanmiao didn't know that they had thought so much at once. After the household registration of the woman and her son was delivered to him, he glanced at it politely and put it aside: "So, it is indeed a coincidence that you and the prince consort met in Liaodong."

The woman smiled bitterly: "How dare a country woman like me deceive an important official?"

Xu Yanmiao did not comment.

[It's a pity that the person who ordered this lady was very cautious and always covered his face when meeting her. From the gossip on her side, it's impossible to tell who is the mastermind behind the scenes.]

The gossip system does not require him to know the identity of others in order to read gossip, but it cannot be as vague as "the person who instructed the aunt to frame the prince consort".

[I wonder if we can start with the prince consort and the princess... Let me see, um... the prince consort was raised as a boy since she was young, and she wears men's clothes when she goes out with her mother. Wow! Her mother is amazing——]

The old emperor sat aside with his arms folded, looking disdainful.

How powerful can she be? Can she be as powerful as the female champion? Or can she be as powerful as the Lady Chongyi who was previously conferred the title by Yan Chun?

It's just some people who raise their daughters as sons...

[The prince consort's father got drunk and joked with her mother that her mother couldn't give birth to a son, so he wanted to sell her and marry someone who could give birth well...]

The old emperor frowned slightly.

How can you treat hair like this...

[That night, she was smothered to death by her mother with a quilt.]

Old Emperor: What?

【Oh, what a deadly joke. 】

[The next day, the government was informed that he had died suddenly, and he was buried on the third day.]

Old Emperor: What? ?

[On the fourth day, I went to the government office to register my household registration and said that my then ten-year-old son-in-law was my son.]

Old Emperor: What???

The prince's face was also filled with shock and went blank.

For a moment, I didn't know whether I should first express my admiration for my brother-in-law's mother's preemptive action, or should I express...

No wonder no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't find out that the prince consort was dressed as a man - when the prince consort was ten years old, it was still the previous dynasty! In the last years of the chaos and war, the household registration could be forged as much as they wanted. By the time the new dynasty was established, the prince consort had grown up and it was easier for her to dress as a man. Unless she took the initiative to expose herself, who could expose her?

【Wuhu!!!】

【I know how to expose her! 】

Xu Yanmiao's heart suddenly became excited.

The rulers and ministers of Daxia were completely confused.

What happened? How come there is evidence all of a sudden?!

The young man's eyes lit up: "This lady..." He was so polite that the officials watching almost wanted to cover their faces. They felt that Xu Lang looked too easy to bully.

"When you and your husband got married, did you have three books?"

The woman covered her face with tears in her eyes, "No. At that time, there was chaos and war, so there was no such condition. Later, the conditions became available. We have been married for many years, but he never mentioned it, and I never thought too much about it."

The prince consort knelt beside him, lowered his eyes and said nothing.

Princess Fangling looked at the woman coldly, as if she was analyzing and thinking about something.

Xu Yanmiao asked again: "Have you ever met the prince consort's parents?"

The woman seemed helpless: "Sir, please don't make fun of me. When I married into the Yan family, my uncle and aunt had already passed away..."

——She was indeed well prepared. She must have memorized the prince consort's family background information by heart.

Xu Yanmiao smiled and interrupted the woman: "You and your husband have been married for so many years. Has she ever taken you to visit her parents' graves?"

The woman fluently revealed the address of the tomb of the prince consort's parents: "I and Yan Lang go there every year..."

Xu Yanmiao asked again: "Can you read?"

The woman said shyly: "No..."

Xu Yanmiao seemed very surprised: "Didn't the prince consort take the initiative to teach you how to read and write?"

The woman was also surprised: "No matter how talented Yan Lang is, he can't teach me to read and write. He——"

"I can."

The woman stopped talking abruptly, slightly stunned. She saw Yan Chun, who had lowered his eyes and knelt upright, quietly waiting for the government's verdict. When he turned his head to look at her, he sighed: "If you were really my first wife, I would take the initiative to teach you."

Princess Fangling laughed, coldly, sharply, and without warmth: "There is a line of words on the tombstone of the prince consort's mother, which was carved by her close friend, the contemporary master Tong Xin. But people like you and the people behind you would not care even if they saw it."

The old emperor asked his attendants directly: "What words can Master Tong carve?"

The old censor pondered for a few breaths and said, "Master Tong has always been called a demon scholar. He is a heretic and once said bluntly: There is no difference between the talents and intelligence of men and women. If women can escape from the boudoir, men in the world will not dare to speak out. Therefore, I think the core of his remarks will be engraved on the tombstone of his close friend - 'There are differences in knowledge and experience, but there is no difference between men and women'."

【All correct! 】

Xu Yanmiao whistled in her heart to express her agreement.

[Yan Chun had listened to her mother and Master Tong discussing Taoism since she was a child, and had helped her mother copy the correspondence between the two. Influenced by what she heard and saw, she decided to take the imperial examination when she grew up - after all, her parents were both dead and she didn't have nine clans to rely on.]

[Who would have thought that after passing the imperial examination and becoming the top scholar, he was also chosen by the old emperor to be his consort. There was no way he could refuse.]

[The princess didn't seem to know she was a girl at the time—hmm! Sure enough, she didn't know! She was so confused on her wedding night, it was so funny. The reason she was able to stick to this marriage was because the princess was determined not to lose face! ]

[Let me see, let me see, what did you say at that time? Oh! 'I don't care whether you are a man or a woman, if you become the consort of the emperor, you must earn back my face.']

Old Emperor: "..."

Prince: "..."

Well, now they understand why Princess Fangling would tolerate her female prince consort.

——My daughter/eldest sister who has been strong all her life.

The case had been concluded, so Xu Yanmiao continued digging with peace of mind.

[In order to prevent the princess from being exposed and to facilitate their careers, they came to Liaodong! ]

[It's cold here and it's also a frontier, a bitter cold place, and it's not easy for them to persist for thirty years and be promoted from county magistrate to governor.]

[Ouch! The credit for the governor's governance is shared equally by both! The princess also often travels in men's clothing and pretends to be the governor to work - huh? It's so funny. The people in the government basically pretend to be blind and pretend not to know that there are two governors. Anyway, no one reports to the central government.]

A group of central officials: "..."

We know now.

So what are we to do? Pretend to be blind and deaf and know nothing?

They all looked at the old emperor, wanting to say something but hesitating.

Are you going to strip the female prince consort of her official position, or just let it go? Just give me the answer!

The old emperor originally wanted to remove Yan Chun from her official position and make her a bald prince consort - if possible, it would be best if she didn't even have to be a prince consort, but his daughter probably wouldn't be happy about that.

However, at this moment, after hearing Xu Yanmiao's words "half the credit for governance", he suddenly had an idea -

Liaodong belongs to my daughter half, which is equivalent to half of mine. It means that our family is in control of Liaodong and there is no need to worry about rebellion.

Old Emperor: "..."

I'm a little moved. Let me think about it.

[Wow! They got married first and fell in love later! And they have a child!]

The old emperor: "?!" Yes! He has six granddaughters, where did they come from? !

[Oh, the ones I adopted were all girls, so that they could inherit my business.]

【Three with the surname Gao, three with the surname Yan.】

Old Emperor :)

That's fair.

There is a royal palace in the south that permanently governs Yunnan, but there is no royal palace in the north that permanently governs Liaodong. Liaodong is close to Shanhaiguan and is very important. He is not at ease to hand it over to others, always worrying that the other party will join forces with the barbarians outside the pass to rebel, so he has not yet sealed this land.

But...if Fangling was the one guarding Liaodong, there would be someone to take over...

I am even more excited. Let me think about it carefully.

The author has something to say:

The old emperor: The eldest son's son is stupid, the eldest daughter's daughter is fake, and the second daughter's daughter is the son-in-law's ex-wife's. It's numb.

＊

Regarding the fatal joke, reference to Sima Yao and Zhang Guiren:

At first, Changming indulged in wine and women. In his later years, he spent long nights drinking. He rarely woke up and rarely received outsiders. Therefore, he stayed in the inner palace and lingered among the wine and food. He regarded his favorite concubine Zhang as a noble lady, and she was favored by the harem and had great power in the inner palace. At that time, he was almost thirty years old. Changming was good at playing with prostitutes and young concubines. He laughed and teased them, saying, "You should be abandoned because of your age. I have already belonged to many young beauties." Zhang was secretly angry, but Changming didn't realize it and teased more. In the evening, Changming was a little drunk, so Zhang secretly drank with many eunuchs and servants and sent them away. At dusk, Changming was drunk and fell asleep. Zhang then asked his maid to cover him with a blanket. When he was exhausted, he was afraid, and asked the servants to tell him to wake him up. At that time, Daozi was incompetent and Zi Yuanxian was in power, so he didn't count Zhang's crimes.

——Book of Wei

[Translation: After Sima Yao, Emperor Xiaowu, got drunk, he joked to his favorite concubine, Concubine Zhang: "You are too old, old and ugly. I want to depose you and find a young beauty." Then Concubine Zhang covered Emperor Xiaowu with a quilt and killed him at night.]

＊

Let me introduce to you the late Ming Dynasty thinker Li Zhi and his thoughts:

Recognition of merchants:

How can merchants be despised? They carry tens of thousands of dollars in wealth, go through dangerous storms, suffer humiliation from customs officials, endure insults in the market, and make all kinds of efforts. What they carry is more important than what they get.

——Collection of Li Wenling]

.

Affirmed Wu Zetian's achievements and royal status:

[Looking at the kings of recent times, are there any who know people as well as Wu Qi? Are there any who are dedicated to nurturing talents and caring for the people as much as Wu Shi?

——Collection of Li Wenling]

.

Refuse to blindly trust Confucius:

[Everyone regards Confucius's right and wrong as right and wrong, so there is no right or wrong.]

——Collection of Li Wenling]

.

Believe that men and women are equal:

It is OK to say that people are male and female, but is it OK to say that visions are male and female? It is OK to say that visions are long and short, but is it OK to say that men's visions are all long and women's visions are all short?

——Collection of Li Wenling

【Translation: People are divided into men and women, but is it possible to divide knowledge into men and women? It is possible to divide knowledge into long and short, but how can we say that men's knowledge is far-sighted and women's knowledge is short-sighted? 】

.

Considering that people and saints are equal:

People in the world are essentially the same as benevolent people. Saints are never higher, and the common people are never lower.

——Collection of Li Wenling

.

In Volume 2 of Chutan Collection, Li Zhi focused on recording the deeds of 25 women with extraordinary talents.

Volume 4 focuses on the image of women who are as good as men.

In the "Collection of Books", Wu Zetian was openly praised, saying that she was "ten times better than Emperor Gaozong and ten thousand times better than Emperor Zhongzong."

When he was teaching at Zhifo Temple in Macheng, Hubei, he accepted female disciples and sometimes discussed academic matters with some women through correspondence.

He corresponded with Mei Danran, the daughter of Mei Yuan, the governor of Datong, and called her "Master Danran".

＊

I am afraid that all the men of the world who see this will be ashamed and sweat, and dare not speak out.

——"Answering the Shortcomings of Women Learning Taoism"

Chapter 60 Wow! The prince consort is wearing underwear to increase his height!

The voice that had been shouting outside the government office that the scrolls could be made old came out again.

The man shouted at the prince consort, "Who can prove that what you said is true? You said you can teach and - Ouch!"

Suddenly, three or five Jinyiwei rushed out from the side, captured the man, and dislocated his joints with a bit of malice...

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah--"

The man cried for his parents, and then a ball of rag was stuffed into his head immediately, so he could only make "mumbling" sounds.

The commander of the Jinyiwei shouted angrily, "You fool, we finally caught you. Let's go!"

He picked the man up like a chicken, and carried him to the government office, shouting, "Your Majesty! I have fulfilled your orders! This man just deliberately stirred up trouble among the people and used words to mislead them, but I and my men caught him!"

Then he pulled the rag out of the man's mouth.

The man's eyes were evasive for a moment, but he still stiffened his neck, as if he was not convinced: "What! You can't even doubt it? If that's the case, why hold a public trial? Close the door and tell us the conclusion in two days!"

Princess Fangling looked calm.

She said to the old emperor: "Your Majesty, the actor is just jumping around. We will re-examine the case later. First, we need to clear the name of the prince consort and my daughter."

Then the man was gagged again, tied up with ropes, and shoved into a corner.

But after this incident, the people were indeed shocked and doubtful, and dared not speak much.

The old emperor winked at Xu Yanmiao, who slammed the gavel again and spoke in a deep voice, drawing the people's attention away: "Prince consort, what do you have to say about this man's accusation?"

Yan Chun quickly summed up the key points and said succinctly: "Before I married the so-called 'first wife', I had corresponded with many women, some of whom were my friends and some of whom were my disciples. I met them all while traveling around the world. And after the so-called marriage, until the imperial examination, I still kept in touch with them."

Yan Chun dared to speak out because these women were considered heretics in the eyes of the world and did not care about their worldly reputation.

Some of them entered private schools to study history at the age of six, and by the age of twelve they had already become famous for their talent. Their poems and essays were circulated among people, and their classmates felt ashamed of themselves and were accepted as disciples by great scholars.

Some of them are known as "female Bian Que". In the past, they went in and out of the palace and cured the empress dowager and the emperor. In the present, they travel among the people and save lives. They are deeply loved by the people. Now they have compiled their lifelong medical experience into medical books and passed them down to the world.

Some are chivalrous and brave, some disguised themselves as men and joined the army, and have now retired, some open private schools and teach, and I heard that they are now compiling a book on arithmetic, preparing to simplify "Calculation" so that more people can understand arithmetic...

"Besides, before the imperial examination, I traveled around the mountains and rivers and taught many women to read. It's impossible that when it comes to my wife, I don't care whether she is illiterate or not."

The people outside the yamen listened and nodded, feeling that what the prince consort said made sense.

"So he was wrongly accused?"

"feel like......"

"Then why did he admit it before?"

Xu Yanmiao also asked this question.

Yan Chun just smiled, as if to speak out his inner thoughts: "I do have a birthmark on my back, I don't know how she knew about it. After I took off my clothes, I couldn't defend myself. At that time, I was completely desperate and felt that my innocence was hard to maintain. I was afraid that everyone would think that Yan Chun was a wicked man who abandoned his wife and children. I lost interest in life and just admitted it."

To put it simply, he felt that he could not clear himself of the injustice, so he gave up and didn't care whether he was wronged or not.

If you didn't know that she was a female princess consort, this explanation would barely make sense.

The woman bit her lip and suddenly said loudly, "Yan Lang! You told me that day that you only wanted a good wife and a good mother, and it didn't matter whether I could read or not! Why did you change your mind now!"

A sly smile appeared on Xu Yanmiao's face.

I've been waiting for you to say this!

"Since you are a good wife and a loving mother, and have been married to the Prince Consort for many years, then what size shoes and length of pants should the Prince Consort wear?"

——It's a pair of crotch-less trousers.

It's impossible that you, a good wife and mother, have never even made pants and shoes for your husband?

As soon as Xu Yanmiao finished speaking, the woman turned to look at the prince consort. It seemed that she was only looking into his eyes while speaking, but in order to respect the prince consort, she actually quickly estimated his height and quickly reported a size.

The people were taken away to judge again, and they all said, "It feels like this is still the first wife of the prince consort."

"Yes, she told me the size right away. She must have made a lot of trousers and boots for the prince consort in the past."

Xu Yanmiao coughed and said, "Prince Consort, you can take it off now."

What to take off?!

The old emperor stood up suddenly: "This! It's inappropriate--"

The sound stopped abruptly.

Because, the prince consort was silent for two or three breaths, silently took off his shoes, and poured out a thick cushion from inside.

He was standing in the hall wearing socks, and his height was obviously reduced.

——That is, from 1.83 meters to 1.78 meters.

The size the woman reported doesn't match.

"Snapped--"

Xu Qingtian slammed the gavel, suppressed his laughter, and tried to close the case seriously: "As her wife, how could you not know her real height? It's impossible that the prince consort wore the same shoes in bed! According to what you said, you and him even have a child."

The woman knelt on the ground, both legs seemed to be trembling slightly.

While Xu Yanmiao was condemning the man, she was also wondering: [But, is 1.78 meters tall considered short? Why are you not satisfied with this and want to raise it higher? Oh! The eldest princess asked for it!]

Huh? Why is that?

The curiosity of the rulers and ministers of Daxia was piqued.

Could it be that the princess still dislikes her husband because he is too short?

[The prince consort probably never expected that after getting married, his wife would say to him: How come you are only 7 feet 7 inches tall, not even as tall as my second sister's prince consort.]

[Then we added insoles to him from time to time, gradually, until he was finally an inch taller than Ji Sui, we stopped making the insoles thicker.]

[The princess is quite smart. She knows to thicken it over time to prevent outsiders from noticing the flaw.]

The rulers and ministers of Daxia were truly stunned.

This, even height comparison? !

There was deep sympathy in her eyes as she looked at the prince consort.

How many things has this woman been forced to compete with others in the past thirty years?

＊

The case was tried and the woman and her son were dragged away. There was cheering and shouting outside the yamen.

Xu Yanmiao was absent-minded, his eyes fixed on the slight movement of the prince consort's beard when he expressed his gratitude to him.

[What a long beard! I heard that the prince consort was once known for his "beautiful beard".]

【How did she get this beard? 】

[What the hell! The fake beard is fixed on the chin with beeswax, and lard is applied to fix the shape. Lard will have a smell, this fake beard must be changed frequently, right? Where did it come from - hahahahahahaha, shaving the prisoner! ]

One, two, three, four people secretly glanced at the beautiful beard of the prince consort.

Is the effect of fake beard so good? Then should they also...

The Minister of Personnel stroked his long beard and suddenly remembered something. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly: "I heard that when the son-in-law was an official, he was known for his benevolence. He only punished minor offenders with 'endurance' when they committed crimes for the first time. If they committed the same crime again, he would punish them severely."

The prisoner's hair is retained, but his sideburns and beard are forcibly shaved off. It is usually used for some minor crimes.

The old emperor also remembered and wiped his face hard with his hand.

He was very happy at the time, thinking that this person was a good official, and wanted to promote her, but was stopped by his daughter, who said that the son-in-law's lifelong wish was to be a local official and speak for the people. He was even happier at that time and rewarded the son-in-law with a lot of things.

Now it seems that being a parent official and pleading for the people is probably true, but what about lifelong wishes... forget it, don't they want to join the central government? They just don't dare to join!

[Speaking of which, the Dali Temple Secretary should have something in common with the Prince Consort. ]

The Dali Temple Secretary's face turned pale, and those who didn't know would think that he had lost too much blood.

The officials from Fuzhou leaned their heads forward with ecstasy on their faces.

Xiaobaize! Well done!

This guy actually said that people from Fuzhou are cunning! He should be executed!

The eyes of others also lit up.

I just finished a case of a royal consort being sued, and my tense nerves can finally relax. It's a good time to listen to some funny stories to relax!

【Middle-aged baldness...】

Swish, swish, swish——

Dozens of eyes were focused on the Dali Temple Secretary, and the smile on his face froze.

The Fuzhou native - the doctor of the Ministry of Justice muttered: "Not bald?"

【I got a wig! 】

Oh~

All officials suddenly realized.

Hair!

The Dali Temple Secretary felt that more and more people were looking at his wig, and he could not help but feel angry: "After all, you are officials in the same court, you should at least cover it up! It's okay if it stays for three or five breaths, but how come some people keep it for seven or eight breaths! Do you want me to take off my wig and let you hold it in your hands for a closer look!"

[I usually use wood shavings water as hairspray for styling. Maybe I can discuss with my husband whether lard or wood shavings water is better. ]

[But one is used on a fake beard, and the other is used on a wig. I don't know if they are applicable? ]

The Dali Temple Secretary was almost in tears.

If you don't know, don't think about it! Can't you just be a quiet and wooden beauty who doesn't say anything and doesn't think about it?

＊

As the new "The Case of the Prince Consort" came to an end, the people were still not satisfied.

Some of the operas inspired everyone to go back and write "New Case of the Prince Consort" and sing it on the stage.

"How horrible!"

"You come and sue me for abandoning my husband!"

"You're going to stamp my back!"

"Fortunately, I often talk about Chang'e, and we discuss all the poems and books!"

"Ask me who I am? My surname is Yan, my ancestral home is Baoding. Unfortunately, both my parents died, so I became a prince consort. The only relative I have is the princess~"

"This crime is hard to prove! This crime is hard to prove!"

"Xie Heyou taught me in the hall that women's views are not necessarily short! Taught me that men's views are not necessarily long! Who said that women are not as good as men? I only regret being trapped in the inner world! Ah - I pity those who are blind to beauty! I teach all the female students! Why is my wife still confused!"

"She can't read! Oh! She can't read! She doesn't look like my wife! She's not my wife! The lawsuit is over—"

In fact, the focus is on height, but opera, as an artistic creation, will focus more on some exciting scenes that the audience likes to see - which definitely does not include the prince consort wearing high heels.

In the compartment under the stage.

"This drama is very well written."

In front of the desk, Princess Fangling picked up a pen and wrote: "Teach me that women's opinions are not necessarily short! Teach me that men's opinions are not necessarily long! Who says that women can't beat beards? I just hate being trapped in the inner world——"

"I like these two sentences."

"I like it too." The prince consort said with some regret: "It's a pity that my identity cannot be revealed, otherwise this drama will be more perfect."

The female prince consort and the number one scholar, how appropriate that line of lyrics is.

Princess Fangling looked at her and smiled: "Not in life, but maybe after death..."

The prince consort's chest rose and fell violently twice, and a smile suddenly broke out on his face: "Yes, after death..."

She suddenly thought of something and frowned, "How did you reveal the three-petal plum birthmark on my back? I never take off my clothes in public, and I never let servants get close to me when I take a bath at home."

The pen tip moved slowly on the paper, and the names of the suspects appeared one by one. She crossed them out again and again. Suddenly, Princess Fangling remembered something, and her expression froze in a state of both laughter and tears: "I remember it."

"What?"

Princess Fangling threw the pen aside and said with a smile: "Do you still remember the heavy rain in May of the 30th year of Tiantong?"

"I remember that the rain was heavy and the crops were wiped out. The water was more than three feet deep on the flat ground. I went to help with the disaster..." The Prince Consort's expression changed from stunned, confused, to reminiscing, to suddenly realizing: "At that time, a sharp object cut my clothes from behind, and the torn to my chest. Could it be that someone saw me at that time?"

Princess Fangling nodded: "The rest of the time, we are very cautious."

Thinking of that time, the prince consort was still very scared: "The chest wrap fell off at that time, and I was very scared. Fortunately, the princess comforted me for a long time and I finally got over my worries. I think the person behind the scenes saw my birthmark but didn't notice that I was a woman. Otherwise, why would he pretend to be my first wife and could have directly exposed that I was a woman."

——At first, they called each other Princess and Prince Consort coldly, then they called each other Princess and Prince Consort respectfully, and later, this simple name, with a hint of itchy seriousness, became a hobby.

Princess Fangling hesitated to speak, and finally said what she wanted to say three years ago: "Don't worry about nothing."

The prince consort was stunned: "What?"

Princess Fangling glanced at her chest and teased, "This place is flat, even if you don't need to bind your chest, no one will be able to tell."

Prince Consort: "..."

Princess Fangling joked, "The imperial examinations in the fourth and fifth years of Tiantong were the first after the founding of the country. Many regulations had not yet been implemented, and there were loopholes everywhere, which allowed you to sneak in successfully. In the second imperial examination, you had to search your body and be naked, and later it was changed to a group bathing in the bathhouse... Previously we were glad that you went in the first exam, but now I think you don't have to be so lucky so early, you can still wear underwear in the bathhouse."

Yan Chun looked at the rise and fall of the princess's chest, then looked at his own chest which was flat and no one would think twice about it: "..."

hateful.

The author has something to say:

At the age of twelve, his talent was well known, his poems and essays were widely read, his classmates felt inferior to him, and a great scholar accepted him as his disciple:

【Liu Qingyun, also known by his courtesy name Guxiang and nickname Guanyin, was a native of Shuyang, Jiangsu Province. He was born in the year of Renyin in the reign of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty (1842) and died in the fourth year of the Republic of China (1915).

She was "very smart when she was young. At the age of four, she could distinguish the four tones... At the age of six, she hired a teacher. She read the works of hundreds of philosophers, histories, and was well versed in them. She was especially good at poetry, calligraphy, and painting." When she was twelve years old, her name as a talented girl spread throughout the village, and her classmates all felt inferior to her.

She entered a private school at the age of six to study under a teacher. After returning home, she followed her husband to Huaiwen Academy to attend lectures, and became the disciple of Wang Xu, a great scholar from northern Jiangsu.

Wang Xu recognized Liu Qingyun's literary and artistic talents, saying that "his life and learning are far superior to others."

Liu Qingyun devoted his life to literary creation, just like a silkworm spinning silk, and achieved many achievements in poetry, drama, and qupai.

At present, the literary works of Liu Qingyun that are known to have been published and handed down include: "Xiao Penglai Xianguan Poetry Collection" one volume, "Banxiang Pavilion Ci" one volume, "Xiao Penglai Xianguan Qugao" one volume, "Banxiang Pavilion Ci Supplement" one volume. "Xiao Penglai Xianguan Legend" contains ten legends, "Huangbi Qian", "Danqing Fu", "Yanliang Qu", "Yuanyang Meng", "Yunyun Chuan", "Hero Match", "Tianfeng Yin", "Feihong Xiao", "Jingzhongyuan" and "Qianqiu Lei", as well as two later discovered legends "Pihua Wu" and "Wangyang Tan". In recent years, some of Liu Qingyun's lost poems have been discovered in his hometown of Shuyang.

——"A Study on the Poems of Liu Qingyun, a Talented Woman in the Late Qing Dynasty"】

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Bian Que Yishuo among women:

Even though he had a sister named Xu, she was favored by the Queen Mother because of her medical skills.

——Book of the Former Han Dynasty

[In addition, there are many famous female doctors, such as Bao Gu of Jin Dynasty, who was good at acupuncture, Zhang Xiaoniangzi of Song Dynasty, who was good at surgery, Tan Yunxian of Ming Dynasty, who specialized in gynecological diseases and wrote "Miscellaneous Words of Female Doctors", Zeng Yi of Qing Dynasty, who saved the world and wrote "Medical Chapter"]

＊

Wang Zhenyi:

[The International Astronomical Union named a crater on Venus after her.

In order to enable more people to understand mathematics, she simplified Mei Wending's "Calculation" and compiled the "popular mathematics book" of that era - "Calculation is Easy to Know".

After being exposed to Western mathematics, Wang Zhenyi combined it with the ancient Chinese "Pythagorean Theorem" and wrote "Solution of the Pythagorean Triangle".

At the age of 20, he wrote a book called "Explanation of Lunar Eclipses", which simply and intuitively explained the causes of lunar eclipses.

He studied the phenomenon of precession and wrote "The Question of Precession and Solstice"

He observed and recorded the movements of Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn, and wrote "Jingxingbian".

After getting married, she did not give up her research, but opened a private school and became a teacher. Unfortunately, she died of illness at the age of 29.

＊

Wig source:

Zheng's note says: "In ancient times, people would cut the hair of lowly people or those who were punished to do so."

——"The Book of Rites"

＊

There are also such:

At first, the Duke saw Ji's wife with beautiful hair from the top of the city wall, so he ordered her to have her hair shaved to look like Lü Jiang.

——"Zuo Zhuan"

【Translation: Duke Zhuang of Wei saw that Ji's wife had beautiful hair on the city wall, so he had her hair shaved off and gave it to his wife, Lü Jiang, as a wig.】

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