After the Double Ninth Festival, autumn harvests from various places arrive in the capital.
The seventh year of Yuanyou seemed to be even more prosperous than the Zhaowu period. The grain output in Beizhili, Shandong, Shanxi and Henan alone was enough to feed half of the people of Daxia. This did not include Shu, which was the granary of the dynasty. Harvest in Jiangnan and other places.
Lin Ruhai didn't even have time to go home, and was too busy at the household department to keep her feet off the ground. Lin Tanhua, who has always paid attention to appearance, even attended a court meeting in late September with her eyes covered with red silk and her hair combed out.
The haggard but crazy appearance frightened the emperor to call the imperial doctor directly in court. When he learned that he had not had a good rest for more than 20 days and was severely exhausted, he immediately ordered him to temporarily put down his work and go home to recuperate.
Potatoes are already enough to be cultivated across the country, but the Ministry of Revenue still accepted Jia Cong's suggestion and only planted potatoes in arid areas of the north and areas with poor soil. The remaining grain-producing areas continued to grow old grains such as rice.
On the contrary, corn, a grain with high yield, short maturity period and easy storage, has been promoted on a large scale by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development this autumn. Especially in Juntun in Liaodong, Shanxi, Shaanxi and Hexi, half of the fields are planted with corn.
This thing is simply born for the army. Not only can corn be eaten, but the straw can also be used as fodder to feed war horses.
The changes brought about by the bumper grain harvest can be seen with the naked eye. At this time in previous years, the memorials sent by the northern provinces all asked for money and grain to prepare for winter snowstorms.
But judging from the news coming back from the various prefectures in Gyeonggi Province, it is enough to rely on the reserves of prefectural and county grain depots to cope with possible snow disaster food shortages this winter.
It is recorded in the Book of Songs that fire flows in the seventh month and clothes are given in the ninth month.
In October, wear cotton-padded jackets and eat bean soup to keep out the cold. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the emperor used the ceremony of wearing winter clothes to tell the people: winter has come.
The emperor performed the ceremony of "conferring clothes" and gave the newly harvested red beans and glutinous rice into hot soup to the ministers for a taste.
After Jia Cong returned from attending the imperial dynasty in the palace, he took Daiyu out of the capital and headed east to the Dabaoen Temple to pray for his relatives, and to burn and offer clothes for his relatives.
The clouds are fading and the grass is falling, the sky is shining at night, and the mountains are covered with red leaves.
The west wind is blowing down, and the Gengqian River is sobbing.
After Yan left, there was no news of his return.
Ask Huanghua, who will break it together?
The most worrying part of recruiting people is the season of sending cold clothes.
After offering incense and praying, adding oil to the ever-burning lamp in front of the memorial tablet of the deceased, and burning and offering clothes, Jia Cong accompanied Daiyu to visit the Da Baoen Temple in autumn.
The autumn wind, red leaves, and the pleasant scenery of the red maple forest outside the Glazed Pagoda dispelled the sadness and longing for relatives that had just flooded my heart.
The two of them were about to go up to the tower and take a closer look. Unexpectedly, before they got close, they saw a yellow and white golden man with tattoos on his arms running from a distance, and immediately knocked down Jia Cong.
"Don't you know how heavy this guy is? You want to crush me to death..., shut up, don't lick!!!"
Jia Cong finally pushed aside the furry melon that came close to him. Daiyu next to him was hugging a small person and watching himself and the big cat rolling on the ground.
"Chun'er, why did you leave the palace? You are still with the general."
"I'm here with daddy, and Big Cat is with me."
Chun'er gave Jia Cong a sweet smile, and Da Mao'er nuzzled Jia Cong's chest with his head, knocking Jia Cong down again after he finally struggled to get up.
"Ouch~"
"Stop shouting, stop shouting, I didn't bring any dried meat!"
The cat became heavier and heavier. Jia Cong struggled several times, and finally, with the "help" of the two girls, he lay down under the red maple and allowed the big cat and the two girls to "ravage" him.
The three of them and one cat played for a long time. The eunuch Xia Shouzhong helped Jia Cong stand up and said that the emperor invited him. Then they all entered the tower and went straight to the top floor to pay their respects.
"I (daughter) pays homage to His Majesty (father)~"
"Ooooh, ooh~"
The emperor, dressed like a wealthy official, was leaning on the railing and looking into the distance. He waved his hand casually to Jia Cong and said there was no need to be polite. On the contrary, he was very kind to Daiyu.
He was asked to bring refreshments, and asked how he was doing as the weather turned colder.
The glazed pagoda is divided into nine floors and eight sides, with a height of 27 feet. The tower body has eight iron ropes, seventy-two hanging bells, eighty hanging iron bells, one hundred and twenty-eight lamps outside the tower body, and twelve glazed lamps. The windows of the tower are made of thinned clam shells, which is very special. Spectacular.
Looking west to the capital, we can see the majesty of the city and the endless stream of pilgrims coming along the official road. The main road outside the temple is full of fireworks on both sides. From a distance, there are vendors shuttling among the pilgrims, selling various items.
The emperor likes this scene very much. In addition, he is condescending and sees the peace under his rule from a distance, and he is very proud in his heart.
It is said that in the civil and martial arts of the Zhaowu year, my Yuanyou should be even better.
The people can have enough money to come to temples to offer incense and pray for blessings, and can take their children to go shopping in the market. Isn't this the credit of me, the emperor?
A prosperous people and a strong country are the blessings of the emperor!
The emperor was in a good mood. He chatted with Jia Cong for a while about things in the south, and then said that he would take the three children to a banquet. Shi Shiran got off the Glazed Pagoda and bought a small box of snacks for each of the three before setting off. .
Originally, Jia Cong and Dai Yu had decided to have a vegetarian meal at Dabaoen Temple, but the emperor's words about the meal made them look forward to it even more.
I don’t know who it was that was able to invite the Great Xia Supreme out of the palace for a banquet.
When he arrived at the place, Jia Cong understood why the emperor wanted to leave the palace incognito after the imperial meeting, despite being spit on by the imperial censor.
There was an imperial village not far from Dabaoen Temple. The carriages and horses were parked outside the village. Jia Cong heard the laughter and laughter in the village as soon as he got off the carriage.
The manager of the village and several gray-haired old men had already received the news and were waiting at the intersection into the village.
"Old slave pays homage to the Emperor, may you be safe and sound!"
"I will finally pay my respects to the fourth master. Long live, long live, long live!"
These old men looked old and frail just now, but when they met the emperor, they immediately spoke loudly and were full of energy.
Especially when he looks at himself, his eyes are sharp, giving the impression that he is like a sharp blade hidden in a sheath, ready to deliver a fatal blow immediately.
These people should be strong soldiers in the army, and they are definitely the kind that can equal ten to one.
"Everyone, everyone, everyone. We haven't seen each other for several years. It's a happy occasion for you and me to reunite today. No need to be polite, no need to be polite."
The emperor helped several people up one by one and patted the steward on the shoulder: "Lao Qin, Lao Pei, Lao Shen... are everything okay in the village? I came today to take the children to have a meal. Is the table ready? ?”
"Hahahahaha, what did Fourth Master say? If it hadn't been for Fourth Master's favor back then, we old guys would have followed His Highness long ago..."
Qin Da, the leader, looked at Jia Cong and the other three, thoughtfully.
As he welcomed the emperor in, he looked at Jia Cong carefully: "Fourth Master, if I am not mistaken, this son should be the son of the young prince."
The emperor grabbed Jia Cong's neck: "Why don't you hurry up and come over to see me? These are your father's masters. You have to call me master!"
ah?
Master?
Thinking that the emperor would not lie to him, Jia Cong hurriedly bowed to several old people: "Disciple Jia Cong, meet my master!"
"The young master is so polite. Back then, I only taught him boxing and kicking for a few days. He is not worthy of the title of master."
Qin Da helped Jia Cong up and sighed: "The young master looks so much like the young master. With his appearance, I don't know how many women can't sleep at night. I remember when the young master invited a few of us old guys to Nanchi Flower House , those oiran ladies can’t wait to pounce on the young master…”
Ahem~
The emperor coughed several times to interrupt the old man's dirty talk. Xia Shouzhong quietly reminded that there were two princesses by his side, and they couldn't tell the secrets between men...
…
Most of the people in Zhuangzi are old, weak, women and children, but the layout inside clearly adopts military methods. The houses and courtyards are like military formations, suitable for both offense and defense.
Both Zhuangzi's arrangement and the composition of the members made Jia Cong extremely confused. The words between the emperor and Qin Da revealed a lot of information. Jia Cong had already roughly guessed the origin of this person in Zhuangzi, but he was even more confused.
After everyone entered the central courtyard of Zhuangzi, the emperor told Jia Cong and Daiyu the origin of Zhuangzi.
It turns out that the people living here were all the former East Palace ministers of the former crown prince Liu Xun. When Liu Xun committed suicide in front of the palace, all the former East Palace ministers were liquidated.
As the confidants of the Eastern Palace, Qin Da and others were naturally regarded as a thorn in the flesh by the prince who had taken away the legitimate title.
At that time, the emperor, who was still a cold-faced prince, quietly sent people to rescue a few people and placed them in the palace's annex.
It's not that the emperor was targeting the remaining forces in the East Palace, but the eldest sister-in-law sent him a secret letter and asked for help.
What do you say about Emperor Liu Heng?
He is like a gust of wind to his enemies, and he is heart-wrenching to those close to him.
When the eldest brother and sister-in-law were around, they were quite concerned about his unpopular younger brother. After receiving the autographed letter from his eldest sister-in-law who had committed suicide, the Fourth Master did not hesitate at all, risking his father's wrath, and secretly rescued Qin Da and others and hid them outside the city.
He had been hiding there for several years. It was not until three years ago that the relationship between him and the old man eased, and then the Zhuangzi was created, allowing Qin Da and others to have a place to retire.
Of course, what Liu Heng did had actually been discovered by the old man a long time ago. The old man had already woken up when his eldest son committed suicide. He knew that he was being plotted against, so how could he not regret it?
But now that the fourth child has taken action, he will wait and see what happens, hoping to see if those who plotted against him will take action against the fourth child again...
As for the emperor bringing Jia Cong here today, it was actually a last-minute idea.
First of all, he wanted to show off to his elder brother's group of veterans. He was no worse emperor than his elder brother, and Yuanyou was more powerful than Zhaowu.
Secondly, he wanted to kill these people and invite him out of the mountain to help Jia She who was thousands of miles away.
Although these old guys look old, in fact, each of them can make a pot of rice in one meal, and can knock over a cow by rolling up their sleeves.
Moreover, Qin Da and his friends have brought out more than a dozen boys in the past few years, and each one of them is a first-class talent.
After learning martial arts, he became a member of the emperor's family. Seeing that the prince is now able to take charge of his own affairs, he should arrange something for his son to use.
As for saying that these people are all old ministers of the eldest brother...
Besides me, who else can inherit my elder brother’s ambition to make the people of Great Xia rich, the country strong, and powerful all over the world?
The emperor did not mention the matter directly, but asked about the situation in Zhuangzi.
Knowing that this autumn's potato and corn harvest would be a bumper harvest, the poor people finally no longer have to suffer from hunger and cold, and they laughed proudly.
"I feel very at ease when I have someone to support my old age and someone to support my young. Lao Qin, the people in Zhuangzi are all the widows of my old brothers. It's hard for me to come forward directly. You should be more careful and don't let them suffer any injustice." .”
Qin Da cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, Fourth Master. With Fourth Master's secret care these years, everyone is living a good life. Especially this year, thanks to Fourth Master's divine grace, we have potatoes and corn, three meals a day. Life is better than before, with three meals a day and meat for every meal!"
The smile on the emperor's face became even brighter when he heard this. He had three meals a day and meat for every meal. Although this seemed very simple, in fact, there were only a handful of people in the entire Great Xia who could live such a life.
It was already a prosperous time for ordinary people to be able to fill their stomachs with two meals a day, let alone meat.
He waved his hand towards Jia Cong and said, "You can take Yu'er and Chun'er out to play. I have something to tell Lao Qin and the others."
After Jia Cong and others went out, the emperor got down to business.
"Old Qin, do you still remember why my eldest brother had a sudden change of heart and ended up causing trouble? The hibiscus paste appeared again. Jia Enhou discovered a large amount of hibiscus paste in South Vietnam..."
…
Most of the people in Zhuangzi are old and weak, women and children, and there are very few young people.
Jia Cong, three people and a cat were wandering around leisurely accompanied by Zhang Qian. The little kids in Zhuangzi stood in the distance, secretly looking at Jia Cong...the big cat beside him.
Zhang Qian explained to the three of them: "Your Highness the Princess, uncle, these children are either the orphans of the old ministers of the East Palace, or the children of heroes in the army. The emperor ordered the old slaves to take care of them secretly, and General Qin and the others will teach them martial arts. Inherit my father's ambition and serve the country loyally."
"So that's it. Your Majesty loves the people like his sons, loves the orphans and cherishes the widowed. These people are also the orphans of heroes, so they should be taken good care of."
Jia Cong waved to the child in the distance and slowly attracted him. We are all children after all, who can resist a furry creature like a big cat.
Ouch~
Snapped!
As soon as the big cat saw the large group of scavengers, he immediately wanted to show off the majesty of a tiger and establish his position. As soon as he let out a whimper, Jia Cong knocked him on the head.
One of the children, who was about ten years old, had the courage to secretly look at Jia Cong: "Is this a tiger?"
"The big cat is mine!"
Chun'er thought someone was trying to steal her big cat, so she immediately hugged the big cat's neck and declared her sovereignty.
Jia Cong rubbed Chun'er's head in a funny way: "Well, the big cat belongs to Chun'er, no one is snatching it away."
Then he turned around and asked, "What's your name?"
The young man cupped his hands and said, "My lord, my name is Qin Shizhong."
"Uncle, he is the grandson of General Qin."
Zhang Qian took advantage of the situation and introduced to the group of children: "This is the uncle of Yongfeng County who cultivated potatoes and corn. These two are Princess Wen'an and Princess Chun."
"Wow, it's Uncle Potato!"
"It's not Uncle Tudou, it's Uncle Yongfeng."
"The potato man who grows potatoes and corn... Uncle Yongfeng?"
"That Uncle Yongfeng who defeated a hundred thousand Tatars?"
These dolls were all children of the Wu family. After learning Jia Cong's identity, they immediately focused their admiring eyes on Jia Cong, which made Jia Cong blush.
Daiyu couldn't help but laugh at how shy she was when seeing Jia Cong.
The little girls who came with this group of teenagers timidly looked at the two noble ladies secretly. When they saw Daiyu looking at them, they all lowered their heads in fear. Some timid children even wanted to hide themselves.
After Daiyu whispered a few words to Zhang Qian, she said in Jia Cong's ear: "I will take Chun'er to see the women and children in the village. You should talk to them first."
Jia Cong didn't ask Daiyu about her plans. He nodded and gave Zhang Qian a few words of advice, and then walked to the school grounds with the group of teenagers.
Sister Lin is not a vassal of Jia Cong, she has great ambitions. The women and children in this village are all widows of heroes and martyrs. Maybe Sister Lin is not just going to express condolences, but she may have thought of something and needs to do some actual investigation.
…
This Zhuangzi is no ordinary Zhuangzi. Not only is the layout of the houses arranged according to the military formation, but also a large-scale school ground is set up in Zhuangzi.
Bang, bang, bang...
The feathered arrows without arrowheads flew towards the target twenty steps away one by one, and Jia Cong was stunned with a score of 78 out of 10.
Needless to say, it was normal for Qin Shizhong to be able to achieve this level, but it was a bit shocking that at least seven or eight of these children could shoot five or six arrows.
You must know that the poor are rich in culture and the rich in martial arts. According to Zhang Qian's previous introduction, most of these children have just come to Zhuangzi not long ago, and they didn't have enough to eat earlier.
At least when the Governor's Office assesses the nobles' children every year, the results are often hard to stand, it's so embarrassing.
Zhuangzi had no horses, so Jia Cong could not test the riding and archery skills of these children. He also asked the children to practice military formations and fight Taizu's Changquan. He probably guessed a little bit about the reason why the emperor paid attention to Zhuangzi.
Eating the emperor's food and working for the emperor are probably the thoughts that have been instilled in these children since they were young.
Compared to martial arts, I'm afraid the emperor will trust this Zhuangzi's child more.
After some inspection, Jia Cong saw the potential of these children.
Qin Da and the others completely trained the children of Zhuangzi according to military methods. After getting along day and night, the three of them could form a formation and cooperate with each other tacitly, enough to fight against the most elite wolf riders on the grassland.
At the end of the drill, Jia Cong asked someone to bring snacks and tea. A group of people sat in a circle and listened to Jia Cong telling the story of killing the Tatars.
"Uncle, can Tatars really eat people?"
"Uncle, when can I kill Tatars like you?"
"Uncle, I also want to kill the Tatars!"
"I'm going too, I'm going too, I'm going to kill the Tatars too!"
Kill the Tartars, kill the Tartars, kill the Tartars...
Guagua guagua...
After only one chapter of the story, Jia Cong's head was buzzing as he heard the Tatars being killed one after another.
As expected of a young killer trained by Professor Lao Shacai, he started shouting to kill Tatars when he was a little older.
Jia Cong rubbed the little Shacai's head next to him and threatened: "Tatars are all eight feet tall and can run horses on their arms. They like to eat children the most, one bite at a time! If you want to kill the Tatars, then you must do it well." Eat more and grow taller, practice martial arts well, and you will be able to defeat them on the battlefield in the future!"
Wow~
Not only were these young assassins not afraid, they just exclaimed and then slapped their chests one by one.
"Then I will grow nine feet tall and practice martial arts to kill Tatars!"
"You are only nine feet tall, I want to be ten feet taller!"
"Eleven feet!"
…
The emperor only talked about the cultivation of hibiscus paste in South Vietnam, which immediately aroused the anger of Qin Da and others.
When he learned that Rong Guo Hou Jia She was short of manpower, he immediately swore to his chest that he would never return to the capital unless the South Vietnamese monarchs and ministers were sent down to work as cattle for the prince.
By the way, the Prince of Beijing was also the one who added fuel to the flames, and Shui Rong, a sinister person, is not a good thing either. Since he is still a prisoner in South Vietnam, let's send him there together.
Monthly ticket recommendation ticket
I'm late tonight because of something else, sorry.
Continue with the 5,000-word chapter, and continue with the coding tomorrow. good evening!
(End of chapter)
