Mingqi Palace, Qinzheng Palace.
In the Qinzheng Hall, the candlelight flickered, the air was filled with the faint fragrance of ink and the calm sandalwood, and it was so quiet that the only sound was the rustle of the emperor reading the memorial.
Emperor Liang Yuanduan sat on the throne and read the memorial. His eyes were flashing with anger and his brows were knitted tightly together, as if he was suppressing the anger in his heart that might burst out at any time.
With a "pop" sound, several memorials were thrown to the ground by the emperor, and they bounced directly to the feet of Dingbei King Qi Sili.
The emperor was so angry that he stood up and said without concealing his anger: "Look what this is. My people are suffering from such a disaster, but Li Yan, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, is not doing his job well. The relief funds I allocated have not been allocated to Jiangsu and Zhejiang for a long time." Area. Dismissal and investigation, must be investigated strictly by me."
Emperor Yuan of Liang had always been in poor health and had always been weak. Due to his anger, Emperor Liang Yuan's coughing echoed in the empty Qinzheng Hall. His face was pale, and his hands were tightly grasping the armrests of the dragon chair, as if trying to suppress the trembling of his body, making him look even more haggard and exhausted.
"Your Majesty, calm down and be careful of the dragon body." Cao Pei hurriedly supported Emperor Liang Yuan and advised him softly.
"Your Majesty, your body is getting weaker and weaker." Qi Sili's eyes fell on the haggard face of Emperor Liang Yuan, his eyebrows furrowed, and he turned to ask Cao Pei: "Eunuch Cao, what did the imperial hospital say?"
"This..." Cao Pei looked at Qi Sili in embarrassment, and then observed Emperor Liang Yuan's face before saying, "The Taiyuan Hospital said that His Majesty's illness may be difficult to cure for a while, I'm afraid..."
"Okay, I know my body best." Emperor Liang Yuan waved his hand to interrupt Cao Pei's words. Cao Pei did not dare to speak anymore and silently stepped aside to wait for Emperor Liang Yuan.
"Your Majesty, are you still not sure that she is guilty?" Qi Sili asked directly.
"This, this, this..." Cao Pei mumbled, not daring to speak directly.
"She is my mother after all." Emperor Liang Yuan sighed slightly, and then said, "I can't bear it."
Qi Sili stood aside, changed the subject, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the disaster in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is serious. People are displaced and starving everywhere. Relief needs to be provided as soon as possible."
Emperor Liang Yuan frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said resolutely: "I will immediately issue a decree to reallocate the disaster relief funds and send capable officials to deal with it. King Dingbei, I order you to immediately go south to provide disaster relief, inspect the people's conditions, and thoroughly investigate the officials in Jiangsu and Zhejiang."
"Yes, Wei Chen accepts the order."
"Ah Li, thank you for your hard work. The empress is moving faster and faster. If the disaster in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is not handled well, others may be convinced." Emperor Liang Yuan sighed slightly and said casually: "I don't want to Become a mediocre king."
The Empress Dowager Liang disliked the birth of Emperor Liang Yuan when she was still alive, and preferred her younger brother Liang Xiao. She repeatedly requested the late emperor to make Liang Xiao the crown prince, but to no avail. After the death of the late emperor, Emperor Liang Yuan ascended the throne. Since Emperor Liang Yuan was in frail health, the Queen Mother's faction was even more ready to make a move.
"Your Majesty, I know that you don't want to fight with the same family, but according to the laws of our court, a duke without an army will not be granted the title of vassal king. The Queen Mother does this repeatedly. Is it contempt for the laws of our court?"
"Ah Li, you understand me best. I don't want to be the emperor. After the emperor's younger brother can take charge of his own affairs, I will fulfill the mother's wish." Emperor Liang Yuan sat back on the dragon throne and coughed slightly. , suppressed it again, not wanting anyone to notice.
"Your Majesty..." Emperor Liang Yuan waved his hand, interrupting Qi Sili's words.
"Ah Li, my mother is afraid of the Dingbei Army. As soon as the disaster in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is over, you can lead the army back to the north of the Great Wall. Don't care about the affairs of the DPRK. Rouran has repeatedly violated the people on the border of our DPRK, which is really on my mind. Emperor Liang Yuan put down the memorial in his hand, looked at Qi Sili and said: "You should stop investigating the assassination at the city gate last month. I will make my own conclusion."
Qi Sili raised his lips slightly, opened his mouth slightly, and finally said: "Wei Chen accepts the order."
Before dawn, Master Yun Chu and the others set out on their way south.
Because it was a thorough investigation in secret, Qi Sili only brought along Qin Ming, Xiao Xuan and Yun Chushi from the trail in advance, while the remaining soldiers and horses took the official road, and the Dingbei Army personally escorted the relief funds.
Working hard, it took half a month to get from Shangjing to Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
Along the way, they saw groups of refugees, who were heading north to escape to Shangjing. Starving people were everywhere, people were cannibalizing, children were sold, and it was normal for the dead to lie next to each other on the road.
In years of famine, people are destitute and their wealth is exhausted, the fields are starved to death, thieves are abundant, there is no way to raise money, life is hard to find, and there is no way to die.
Along the way, everyone felt heavy.
They finally stopped in Qingmu Town, where the disaster was most severe. Qingmu Town was close to the mountains, so the people relied on the mountains to survive. They usually relied on a few acres of crops to survive. Qingmu Town, which used to be filled with the fragrance of rice and flowers, is now filled with a fishy smell that makes people slow down their breathing.
Although Master Yun Chu possesses Xiao Zhao's memories, it seems that he has gone through her life. In his memory, he is used to seeing life and death on the battlefield, and is used to smelling the smell of blood and corpses on the battlefield, but the odor that permeates Qingmu Town The smell was suffocating, and a sense of desolate powerlessness spread from the top of the head to the soles of the feet.
When the floods came, Qingmu Town was quickly submerged. After the floods receded, the roads were full of potholes and there was no good land. Every step was filled with yellow mud.
The houses all over the street are dilapidated, and a few washed clothes are hanging out in the rows of houses. They are some aboriginal people from Qingmu Town who moved back after the floods receded.
Unfortunately, the crops in the fields have been destroyed, and those fields have been flooded, making it impossible to grow crops anymore.
People are so insignificant in the face of disasters, as if they are broken with just a pinch.
"Xiao Zhao, are you okay?" Xiao Xuan looked at her face and turned a little pale, and couldn't help but worry, fearing that she had heat stroke.
Xiao Xuan took the reins from Master Yun Chu's hands.
"It's okay." Master Yun Chu shook his head and smiled slightly at him, hiding his emotions.
"Xiao Zhao, don't be brave. The remaining poison in your body is not clear. What if you are poisoned like that stunned Qing said?" Qin Ming looked at her and muttered to the side: "Otherwise, let Xiao What if I saved you in vain?"
"Qin Ming, you really can't say a good word out of your mouth." Master Yun Chu bit his lips and said, "The doctor heals himself. I know my body best."
Master Yun Chu glanced at Qi Sili without any trace, and found that he was also looking at her, so he quickly turned his head away, looking at the sky and the earth but not at him.
Master Yun Chu heard Qi Sili say: "I think it's getting a little late. Let's find a place to settle down first and talk about it tomorrow."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Xiao Xuan saluted and agreed.
"You stupid young man, what's your name, Prince? Don't you know we are conducting a private visit incognito?" Qin Ming knocked Xiao Xuan on the head.
"What's that called?" Xiao Xuan touched the back of his head, his reaction was more than half a beat too slow.
"Let me think about it, let's call him Brother Qi." Qin Ming clapped his hands and pointed at Xiao Xuan with one finger: "And please stop saluting and get rid of this bad habit. You are no longer a big man. You don't have any opinions." nothing."
Then, he said "tsk, tsk", looking very assertive.
Coming again, Master Yun Chu couldn't help but roll his eyes at him.
By coincidence, he saw him again, and then he complained to Qi Sili: "Brother Qi, look at Xiao Zhao's eyes. It's really chilling."
"Come again, Qin Ming, you can't live without acting every day, right? Duke Ding Guo should send you to the stage to play a female role, so that you can show your talent, Master Qin Ming."
"I'd like to, but my dad won't let me. He's going to break my legs. Brother Qi, look at her..." Qin Ming held up a posture that was too weak to take care of itself, just short of a handkerchief. The child wiped his tears.
Qi Sili watched Qin Ming's performance quietly, silently.
"Okay, it's more important for us to find a place to stay first." Xiao Xuan interrupted Qin Ming and acted as a peacemaker.
"Hurry up and leave." Master Yun Chu pushed Qin Ming and pushed him forward: "Hurry up and show your opinion and find us a good place to stay."
Xiao Xuan led the horse and followed closely, smiling as they continued to play around, with smiles on their faces. Master Yun Chu looked back and saw Qi Sili shaking his head and laughing.
The afterglow of the setting sun fell slightly, and the moon crept up quietly. On the willow branches on the moon, human figures were hidden after dusk.
The breeze blew through the rows of houses, making the clothes flutter, and a trace of light was exposed under the slightly leaky clothes.
In the darkness, the figure fled slightly.
After walking for a long time, when they turned a corner, two little beggars suddenly rushed out and fell straight in front of them.
Without waiting for help, they climbed up on their own and hugged Qin Ming's thighs tightly, one on the left and the other on the right.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Qin Ming tried to pull out his leg but couldn't.
The two little beggars hugged Qin Ming's legs tightly and begged: "Brother, sister, we are so hungry. Our sisters have not had anything to eat for several days. You made us fall just now, and now we are hungry." I can’t use my strength anymore.”
Seeing that Qin Ming was unmoved, the two little beggars kowtowed to Master Yun Chu and begged again. Their voices were sincere and tender, and their eyes were full of tears. It was hard to bear to refuse: "Sister, please do a good job and save my sister. She is about to starve to death, and the Bodhisattva will protect you."
The two little beggars were dirty and thin, with wounds on their faces. They were bloody and scabbed with dirt. They were really pitiful. They might have been injured while fighting for food. They seemed to be so hungry that they were left with nothing. Leather bag skeleton.
Master Yun Chu couldn't bear it, but he didn't take out anything.
In this time of famine, once you take out a steamed bun and give it to someone, those people lurking in the dark will rush up and snatch them all away from you.
Pity and sympathy seem to be insignificant in the face of disaster.
Qi Sili glanced at the two beggars coldly, and his eyes met theirs, making them shrink back in fright.
Qin Ming took the opportunity to pull back his feet and shouted: "It's useless for you to blackmail me. I have no food and I'm still hungry."
Xiao Xuan also tightened the horse's reins and followed Qin Ming, feigning anger and saying, "There's nothing to eat, so hurry up."
"Let's go." Qi Sili glanced at them coldly, pulled the horse and walked away slowly.
"Brother Qi, wait for me." Qin Ming chased after him in a panic.
Master Yun Chu glanced back at them, hiding the emotions in his eyes.
Master Yun Chu and Xiao Xuan also quickly followed.
"Brother, sister, okay, please give me some..." The two little beggars chased them for a distance, but when they found that they couldn't catch up, they gave up.
"Bah..." Someone spat on the ground.
"Think of other ways and let's go."
The two of them ducked away, hiding in the darkness.
