On this night, Chunhefang was extremely lively, like a festival.
Bonfires are dotted all over the house. No matter which overseas Chinese state they come from, people around the bonfire become as close as old friends, singing and dancing to their heart's content.
Xiao Yu didn't plan to go back that night. He left a few servants and a carriage behind, and asked Manager Cui to take the other two carriages and others to leave first, sending Qingxue back by the way.
Qingxue was reluctant to give up, put a cloak on Xiao Yu, and repeatedly told him not to catch a cold.
Cui Guanshi had a complicated expression and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Xiao Yu put Qingxue into the car first, then looked back at Manager Cui.
"Manager Cui, if you have anything to say, just say it!"
Cui Guanshi hurriedly raised his hand, his eyes under the mask were very sincere: "Little prince, thanks to the emperor's grace, all expenses incurred in the palace are royal rewards, but... But the villain doesn't understand, money is not spent in this way. Yeah, to help those untouchables gain a foothold at the feet of the emperor, I'm afraid it won't be enough to fill in the entire palace's family assets.
"Little Prince, think about it, how come the court has not considered what you want to do? But to support those overseas Chinese, even the court would not be able to bear such a huge expenditure! Little Prince will use his own money on a whim. Use your family property to support those untouchables? This old slave really doesn’t understand. If the prince who lives in the palace finds out, he will also be very angry!"
Xiao Yu smiled calmly: "It's not that the imperial court can't bear it, it's that the funds used to relieve these refugees have been stripped away layer by layer! I have done a calculation before, and the cost is indeed not small, but I think with the strength of the palace You can still get it! Besides, I only help this small group of expatriates, just to establish an image for the imperial court. In the future, Han people who want to move south will not be as hesitant as usual, and it can be regarded as an opening. Good news, what to do in the future depends on the emperor and the important ministers in the court. As for my father, if he understands my intentions, how can he be angry? "
Manager Cui still had doubts.
"But...but the young prince..."
"Manager Cui, I have made a promise to the overseas Chinese, and there is no reason to take it back once I have made it to the overseas Chinese. This can be regarded as me, a prince and the prince, sharing the worries of the court! Think about it, the overseas Chinese have nowhere to resettle, which in itself creates a problem for Jiankang What a huge hidden danger it brings, these people gathered at the foot of Taicheng. If anything goes wrong, it will inevitably lead to a civil uprising. Once the civil uprising is provoked, what is the use of having a mountain of gold and silver? I can still hold it if I want to escape. Can’t run uphill?”
"Young prince, there are the Five Guards, the Forbidden Army, and the diligent troops from the surrounding counties and counties. Why is the young prince still afraid of a few rioters?"
Xiao Yu looked at the already sleepy sky: "It's really hard to say when the time comes. If you give up, you will get something. In history, there are many princes and nobles who hold on to their wealth and refuse to let go. In the end, they died miserably. I have my own My thoughts. Manager Cui, I know you have good intentions. The emperor is not kind to me. It is the duty of a prince to spend all his family assets to contribute to the country. If Daqi fails, I will only become a prisoner. , what is the use of all the wealth and honor? In a person's life, even if he has thousands of hectares of fertile land, he can only eat three meals a day; in thousands of mansions, he can only sleep on a couch three feet high. A house of gold and silver is nothing more than a pile of rags. It’s scrap metal and useless.”
Manager Cui seemed to understand, and Xiao Yu was unwilling to talk too much to him. After all, the pattern of ancient people was still different from that of modern people.
Besides, how can I let outsiders know my true thoughts? Just use a bunch of high-sounding excuses to deal with this ghost-like manager.
Throughout the ages, there is nothing more than the word "profit". How can Xiao Yu really be exempt from vulgarity?
Manager Cui had already turned his head, and suddenly Xiao Yu stopped him again.
"return!"
Manager Cui hesitated slightly and looked back.
"Manager Cui, when you get back, give fifty gold to each of the nursing home servants who are traveling with me this time."
"Fifty gold!" Cui Guanshi's eyes widened, "Little prince, is this reward too heavy?"
"Well, what I promised was fifty gold. The performance of those guys made me very satisfied. As for how much fifty gold is, I have no idea. You can just pay it from the warehouse."
Manager Cui smiled bitterly, shook his head helplessly and turned to leave.
This young prince is so generous as soon as we meet him, it really hurts my heart to betray him!
I really don't know what his little master is thinking about all day long.
Looking at Manager Cui's retreating back, Xiao Yu stood there and thought for a long time.
He weighed it again and again, but still couldn't trust Cui Guanshi.
If he reported all the "ridiculous" things he had done to his superiors, what would be the consequences?
He hadn't really thought about it yet.
But in this meeting, this scheming old servant was indeed different from before.
If he wasn't convinced by himself, then he was secretly trying to harm himself.
Xiao Yu is not afraid of anyone's overt and covert attacks.
He gradually figured it out. Instead of "acting clumsy" all day long, it's better to release your nature.
My own thinking is different from those of the ancients. No matter what I do, it is reasonable in the eyes of outsiders, and I don't have to hold back my discomfort.
Since people can travel through time after death, he is not afraid to travel through a few more eras to see.
Just as he was thinking of this, he saw Dongfang Lao and Yu Tianmin coming side by side.
It seems that they have gone from being bitter enemies who ignored each other to being close friends now.
This made Xiao Yu feel relieved.
And this was when Xiao Yu saw a tall man wearing black trousers and a cheekbones following behind them.
Mr. Dongfang stepped forward and cupped his hands: "Young prince! Zhang Mao from Sizhou has also come to seek refuge with his troops!"
Take refuge?
The corner of Xiao Yu's mouth twitched. He just wanted to do something good to a small group of people. Why did so many people come?
This time the fun got serious, and the Prince of Jiangxia was really destitute.
He had no choice but to bite the bullet and smile dryly.
"well……"
…
The night is dark.
In front of a bonfire, Xiao Yu stood up and said goodbye to the burly man who claimed to have mastered a thousand parts of the Sizhou Gang.
Looking at the back of the man leaving smoothly, Xiao Yu felt a little uneasy.
Let’s not talk about the issue of grabbing food supplies.
It had only been half a day, and this was already the sixth leader from the northern overseas Chinese state he had sent away.
In other words, these people came to worship the dock. The originally barren land and limited means of production once made these extremely powerful northerners fight here and fight bravely.
His appearance seems to have changed the situation here in an unexpected way.
There is a philanthropic royal relative who is willing to spend money and effort to rebuild their homes and take care of their food.
Why don't those hungry people who are so hungry all day long that their chests touch their backs flock to them? If you have food and drink, why fight and fight? If you follow the young prince, you will have food to eat and clothing to wear.
Meeting the most basic living needs of these people is equivalent to exchanging the "loyalty" of a group of people who have never met at the cheapest price.
Regardless of the quality of this "loyalty", Xiao Yu already felt that it was completely beyond his expectation and incredible that the situation had developed to such a situation.
If this snowball continues to roll down...
There are two possibilities for this to happen.
One is that these gangsters eat up Xiao Yu until he doesn't even have any pants left.
Thinking about the other kind, Xiao Yu felt chills on his back.
He couldn't help but think of the fierce man named Liu Yu in the former Song Dynasty, and the Beifu soldiers based on the Jingkou expatriates. That was a dangerous and uncontrollable double-edged sword. If not, he might be involved. .
Xiao Yu thought about it and looked at Dongfang Lao and Yu Tianmin who were smiling silly at him.
No matter how many people come to visit the pier, these two people seem to be the most trustworthy.
I am not Han Xin, so I don’t need to “the more the merrier”.
The three of them chatted for a while, and Yu Tianmin yawned. He stood up and was about to leave, saying that he had been preparing for the gang of bandits in Xiangzhou to attack his territory last night and hadn't slept much. He wanted to go back and sleep for a while.
Xiao Yu didn't say anything and let him go. Only Dongfang Lao was left here.
He, who was looking so careless at first, suddenly frowned.
"My young prince, do you really want to use your own family funds to rebuild this Chunhefang?"
"Well, that's right. What's wrong with giving the immigrants a place to live and settle down? You brought those refugees all the way from the Northern Dynasties. What did you go through along the way? I know even if you don't tell me, it can go smoothly. Come to my Nan Qi alive and live without leaving seven!"
Old Dongfang seemed to be touched. He sighed and looked at the misty night sky with a lot of emotion.
"Little prince, it's not that you can't save seven out of ten, it's good to be able to save one or two. You don't know that along the way, you have to support the old and the young, have no food to eat, no clothes to cover your body, and have to endure epidemic diseases, the Northern Dynasties The cavalry often come to fight the autumn wind, killing people at will, passing through some areas, and some officials also come to squeeze us. Those who can come all the way from the Northern Dynasties must be people who have no way to survive in the north. If there is still a way to survive, who is willing to leave their hometown? Going to a strange place! But when I came to the Southern Dynasties, I couldn’t see the prince. The local government and military garrison regarded us as aliens and exploited and made things difficult for me in every possible way. It chilled the heart of the Han people who returned to the south. Only the young prince... But the young prince, If the young prince’s family assets are used, Mr. Dongfang... Mr. Dongfang is really..."
Old Dongfang's nose felt sore as he spoke, and a grown man who had experienced numerous battles and killed countless people couldn't help but wipe away his tears.
"Little prince, Dongfang Lao sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night and seems to see those fathers and sisters who died on the way back to the south. Dongfang Lao feels uncomfortable! Dongfang Lao wants to create a world for them no matter what, but it's a pity that Dongfang Lao The old man has great ambition but little talent, and is of no use anywhere."
Xiao Yu sat by the fire and thought for a long time. His expression dimmed a lot as Dongfang Lao spoke.
Although he had not seen it in person, he could still imagine the scene of supporting the elderly and the young as they struggled to move forward.
"I will fulfill the promise that my father has not fulfilled. With our father and son here, we can't chill the hearts of the overseas Chinese returning to the south!" Xiao Yu said silently, and then looked at Dongfang Lao, "General Dongfang, you don't need to do anything else. Go and do the work, I will figure out how to spend the money, and you can arrange other things."
Dongfang Lao looked grateful, stood up and bowed his head.
"Get up, I have to say ugly things first. I don't support lazy people in the Southern Dynasty. I am only responsible for the basic needs of the overseas Chinese in various states to live and work. I will provide livelihood materials for those who have skills, and I will fight for land for those who want to farm. , if you want to work hard at the dock, I will also provide accommodation and provide subsidies according to your needs. If you want to be a soldier or a guard for me, I will also choose according to your needs! There is only one sentence, in the Southern Dynasties, only those who are willing to work hard , I guarantee that they will have no worries about food and clothing, and live and work in peace and contentment. But if they are roosters, dogs, thieves, or murderers, they will be severely punished according to my laws and will not be tolerated!"
"I'm so grateful, little man! Thank you, young prince!"
Xiao Yu nodded seriously. He stretched out his arms to help Mr. Dongfang up. Suddenly he felt a biting pain in his left shoulder sweeping through his whole body. He couldn't help but frown, and there was a layer of white sweat all over his body.
Dongfang Lao saw the clues and asked quickly: "Little Prince...What's wrong with Little Prince?"
Xiao Yu waved his hand: "It's okay. I'm afraid it's some sequelae after the injury that night. Some nerve must have been injured. Sometimes I feel something is wrong when I move my left shoulder."
Dongfang Lao didn't understand what nerves were, but as soon as the young prince told him about the injury that night, Dongfang Lao's eyes immediately flashed with a fierce look. That look was really ugly.
"They did it." Xiao Yu looked at the bonfire, a little calmly, "Did you find anything?"
"Are you waiting for an official?" Mr. Dongfang raised his eyes.
Xiao Yu nodded.
"No."
Xiao Yu sighed, looking relieved.
The imperial court searched and searched for so many days, but they couldn't find a single thing. They, the expatriates, could find nothing.
Dongfang Lao thought for a while and said, "I heard something recently and thought it was quite strange."
"What's up?"
"My young prince should know that at the northern border, the patrolling scouts of the Northern Dynasty, those horse blockers, often kidnap the people of our border counties and take them to the Northern Dynasty as slaves.
Xiao Yu nodded: "It is true."
"Do we, the southerners, have a habit of plundering the humble people of North Korea?"
"It seems not. The Xianbei people originated from the white mountains and black waters. They have lived in the bitter cold land of the north for generations. After the Yongjia Rebellion, the Wuhu people moved southward and intersected with the Han people in the north. However, most of their ethnic groups still stayed north of the Yellow River and in the Yinshan Mountains. On both sides, there are six towns in the north. The northern border of Da Qi is still in the Jianghuai River Basin. How could we cross the Yellow River to rob the Hu people? Furthermore, we, the great Chinese people, have never had a precedent of taking foreign people as slaves. If we do this, , that is really an insult to our ancestors.”
"The young prince is knowledgeable and the general admires him, but I did find out some strange news, but... I don't know whether it is credible or not, so I have never dared to speak out."
"Is there anything I dare not say?"
"It's just that it came from an eight-year-old."
Xiao Yu frowned: "Child?"
Dongfang Lao nodded.
…
The two left the bonfire where they had been staying and walked towards a high ground deep in the rubble.
Not long after, the two came to a ruined house. There was a shack built against half of the ruined wall.
There is also a small fire in front of the shack.
Xiao Yu didn't pay attention at first, but later he discovered that there were two people next to the fire.
One is a woman, thin and unkempt, wearing old, patched clothes.
Next to her squatted a boy about ten years old.
I saw an earthen pot set up on the fire. Inside was rice porridge cooked with wild vegetables. The aroma of the porridge was overflowing for a while.
When they saw someone coming, they all stood up and looked at the two uninvited guests timidly, regardless of the wild vegetable porridge that was about to be cooked.
When they found out that the visitor was Mr. Dongfang, their tense hearts relaxed.
When I saw that the richly dressed nobleman following Dongfang Lao was the one who distributed food and meat to them during the day, I couldn't help but be surprised again.
Xiao Yu had a kind face. Seeing that he had disturbed other people's dinner, he smiled sheepishly at the two people who looked like mother and son.
As he got closer, he got a rough look at their faces.
I saw that the woman's hair was very long, as if it was tied up in a bun randomly, and her face was covered with dirt. Her appearance and age could not be clearly seen, only her big eyes appeared black and white.
But looking at her expression, I felt that she was very embarrassed in front of strangers. Her two dark but slender hands were always hanging in front of her body. She seemed to want to greet the visitors with a smile, but she was a little tense for some reason. , in short, the look of wanting to laugh but not being able to laugh makes people feel a little strange.
The boy next to her, although his clothes are a bit old, are not as messy as the ones worn by the woman. He has a bun on both sides of his head, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and looks tiger-headed. .
The little boy asked first: "Uncle, who did you bring here?"
Dongfang Lao replied loudly: "Haha, it's our nobleman, His Royal Highness the Prince of Jiangxia."
After the shy woman heard this, she was a little confused. He said repeatedly: "My lord, come and sit down quickly. Come and sit down."
But after the woman finished speaking, she immediately hesitated.
She looked around and saw that everything was dilapidated and there was not even a place for people to sit comfortably.
When she was hesitating whether to move a stubborn stone from the nearby pile of rocks, she saw that Xiao Yu had already moved a stone pile to the fire.
This made the woman look a little surprised.
The "noble man" also picked up the wooden stick in the clay pot and helped stir the boiling porridge.
While stirring, he said: "Sister-in-law, don't be restrained. I just came over to take a look and wanted to ask the dog a few words."
The woman was stunned for a moment, her dark and clear eyes blinked, and she subconsciously touched her dirt-covered face, still looking a little uneasy.
Dongfang Lao on the side couldn't help laughing. He folded his arms and looked away with a sullen face.
The expression on the woman's dirt-covered face was a little complicated. She seemed to have just heard the "noble man" say that he wanted to ask the dog for questioning, and she couldn't help but be curious. She was also afraid that the dog would cause trouble outside and hit the handsome young man. Your noble son.
She suddenly remembered those etiquettes that had not been used for many years. No matter how miserable she looked, she still had to give gifts to noble people.
She gave the blessing respectfully and gracefully, but she looked really weird like this.
Xiao Yu didn't say anything, he just grinned twice.
Then the woman pressed the dog's head again, asked him to bow to Xiao Yu, and said timidly:
"Noble... noble man, the dog is young and will inevitably do some ridiculous things. If it collides with the noble man..."
"There is no collision, get up quickly!" Xiao Yu waved his hands repeatedly, "Sister-in-law, I am overly worried. I just want to find the dog to inquire about something."
The woman wondered, what else does this naughty kid know?
The dog was not as restrained as the woman. He broke free from the woman's restraints and sat next to Xiao Yu.
"This robe of yours is so beautiful, can I touch it?"
Xiao Yu nodded with a smile on his face.
The woman didn't dare to breathe when she saw the little dog Gou'er stroking the noble man's robe made of Shu brocade with his dirty little hands.
"Gouer, I heard your uncle talk about how many barbarians you saw being imprisoned?"
Gou'er's attention was still on the gorgeous clothes Xiao Yu was wearing, and he just nodded casually.
"I know!"
The woman was worried and said quickly: "Dogs can't talk nonsense!"
The dog raised his eyes and looked at the woman seriously.
"My grandma taught me not to lie! She Quli is my new friend, and he is a barbarian. Now he is being imprisoned in a big house near Chaogou Pier with his grandma and some other people. A group of very ferocious people were watching there, and they were not given food or water. I only saw them when I occasionally crawled into a dog hole, and I secretly gave them the biscuits I got from begging for food. I asked him why he was imprisoned there, and he said that he, Agan, worked for a very big official in the Southern Dynasty, and only after they had finished their work could they be released back to Monan."
Xiao Yu and Dongfang Lao looked at each other and frowned.
