In the next ten days, Emperor Xuanwu was very busy, so busy that he could not touch the ground and could not see anyone.
Concubine Yu came over during this period and said that her father had promised to plead guilty and hand over all the money gained from corruption. She also asked the imperial concubine to intercede on his behalf and ask the emperor to allow him to retire and return to his hometown.
Jiang Xinyue did not agree directly. Whether he could be allowed to escape unscathed would depend on the outcome of the court's investigation.
If he was really a heinous person, Jiang Xinyue would not be able to ask for this favor.
Why did she do this kind of behavior that consumed the emperor's feelings for her, just for the sake of concubine Yu's father?
The request can only be made by the eldest princess.
The emperor was so busy that it was time to return to the palace. The corruption case of the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi and the siege case of the governor of Yuzhou were superimposed. After the emperor finished his work, it was the turn of the officials below to be so busy that their feet were smoking.
The imperial edict to remove officials has been issued, and the new governor of Guangdong and Guangxi is none other than Jiang Xinyue's uncle Jiang Yanxi.
Both cases are urgent. The money confiscated from Governor Yu's mansion can be used in Yuzhou, which is riddled with drought.
The emperor probably took a fancy to this and was so anxious to let his uncle take office.
There was a long line of entourage behind the carriage, and the footsteps were regular and neat. Compared with the relaxed atmosphere when they came up, they felt much heavier when they left.
The emperor's face also became a little more melancholy. More and more news about the current situation in Yuzhou came back, and the emperor became more and more angry day by day. He was even so angry that he couldn't eat on several occasions.
If not for Jiang Xinyue's persuasion, Emperor Xuanwu even wanted to put on wings, fly to Yuzhou, and personally kill the governor of Yuzhou.
Jiang Xinyue had thought that the people in Yuzhou would have a very difficult life due to the drought for several months, but she never thought that Zhu Qianyi's letter actually used the term "purgatory on earth" to describe the scene of the people in the city.
The red land is thousands of miles away, and people die of hunger everywhere.
The hot wind cracked the dry riverbed, and there were dead trees everywhere. Any green grass on the ground had been devoured by the people.
The original rivers and lakes were all dry and smoking. Many people were unwilling to give up and dug holes in the riverbeds, but no water was dug out.
Zhu Qianyi said, there are still many mummies lying in the dug holes. I don’t know whether I died of thirst while digging for water, or because I couldn’t see the hope of living, so I dug a grave for myself and waited quietly. die.
The city was besieged for several months without water or food. In order to survive, the people in the city burned, killed, and looted endlessly. They killed the red-eyed, ate human flesh raw, and drank human blood, just like monsters.
The governor of Yuzhou not only didn't care about the life and death of the people, he also sent his own henchmen to defend the city. He regarded human life as trivial and deliberately set up a fighting field where people who were desperate for water could fight to the death and give out a little bit of water to the winner. The person who got it.
More people died in the fighting arena than in natural disasters.
On the day Zhu Qianyi arrived, a big riot broke out in the city. The remaining people rose up to resist in order to survive. Everyone, men, women, old and young, rushed through the city gate.
Zhu Qianyi went with the imperial edict, but the people no longer believed in the government and brutally killed them one by one.
Not only did he have to fight back the people, he also wanted to prevent the guards from hurting the people. However, the former Yuzhou governor's cronies shot dead the people and guards indiscriminately on the city wall.
There was a young man who was the leader among the people. Zhu Qianyi formed an alliance with him during the fight, and only after he killed the cronies sent by the governor of Yuzhou did he want to believe that he was really here to help the people of Yuzhou.
Jiang Xinyue looked at the letter handed over by the emperor and felt that the usually light paper seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, and even her fingers were trembling slightly.
Looking at her red eyes, Emperor Xuanwu looked up at the sky, holding back the tears that should have rolled down.
"I sometimes think, I don't care whether I can leave my name in history, or whether history will say that I was a tyrant. Do I have to kill every corrupt official from the Nine Tribes, so that the world can be clear?"
"But the emperor still thinks that human life is precious, and he is unwilling to use this kind of implicated crime and punishment."
Jiang Xinyue leaned in Emperor Xuanwu's arms and comforted him: "I believe that as long as the emperor continues to be diligent and caring for the people, over time, every drop of water will penetrate the stone. One day, such corrupt and bad officials will be replaced by good officials, and the people will also Live a prosperous and stable life.”
Will this day really happen?
Seeing Jiang Xinyue's affirmative eyes, Emperor Xuanwu hugged her tightly: "I will try my best to complete such a grand scene as soon as possible for our children."
He hoped that Xiaoliu wouldn't have to worry as much as he did in the future.
Jiang Xinyue returned to Hexi Palace. Before her stool was warm, she was told that Xiao Ronghua had been found and was now hiding in her palace.
"You said...she is Xiao Ronghua?"
Jiang Xinyue looked in disbelief at the almost disfigured, shivering, and somewhat nervous "mad woman" in front of her.
In my memory, Xiao Ronghua was still a somewhat beautiful and confident person.
What kind of torture was it that made her so inhuman?
Jiang Chuan gave a bitter smile: "She crawled in through the dog hole. It's hard for me to send her back. What if Concubine De... Your Majesty, the slaves don't know what they dug out the dog hole for. They have already blocked it."
"What are you doing blocking me?"
Jiang Xinyue said calmly: "In the evening, Xiao Xiangzi and I went to dig it up again while there was no one around. Tomorrow we will make a big announcement in the palace, saying that Concubine De is shameless. While I am not in the palace, I dig it up at the root of my vegetable garden." Dig a dog hole and steal my food."
"ah?"
This statement is a bit too down-to-earth.
It sounds impossible, but it feels like it's really possible.
"As for Xiao Ronghua..."
Jiang Xinyue thought for a while: "If you continue to let her hide, I want to see what Concubine De is selling?"
She has been away from the palace for too long, so she needs to check everything up and down first to make sure there are no mistakes before taking the initiative.
On the second day, Concubine De braced herself for Jiang Xinyue's revenge on her. Unexpectedly, rumors spread in the palace that she... stole food?
"The Imperial Concubine said that she planted purple jade grapes in the vegetable garden when she left, but when she came back there were a lot less grapes. After investigation, she said that someone saw Sister Luyin staying up in the middle of the night and taking several young eunuchs under the wall outside Hexi Palace. Digging a dog hole..."
Therefore, it was spread in the palace that people in the Imperial Concubine's palace dug holes under the walls of other houses in order to steal the fruits and vegetables grown by the Imperial Concubine. The Imperial Concubine became furious and grabbed the greenery and beat her up.
Lu Yin touched her swollen buttocks and said, "Mom, I was really careful that night. No one noticed."
Of course Concubine De knew, she snorted coldly: "Jiang Xinyue may not have been found out, but the concubines have all gone to the palace, and I am the only one who stays in the palace. No matter what happens to her in the palace, she will be counted among the On the head."
He said she was stealing food just to cause trouble for her.
