The imperial capital of Daxia, Yangxin Hall.
In the bedroom, the fragrant sandalwood beams were used as beams, the crystal jade bis were used as lamps, and the emerald pearls were used as curtains. The smoke from the purple and gold incense burner was rising, but not a single chopstick was touched on the delicacies from the mountains and seas on the table.
The person lying on top of the dragon collapse is none other than the founding emperor of Great Xia, Yu Daocheng.
He looked to be in his fifties. He should have been in his prime, but his temples were gray, his face was covered with wrinkles, and his body looked extremely thin. Only his eyes looked bright.
There were two ministers standing beside the bed. Those who could stand in the emperor's private place were either of the highest rank and highly respected, or they had a very good relationship with the emperor and were close ministers of the emperor.
As for these two ministers, one is Fan Yan, a scholar of Wenchang Pavilion at that time, and the other is Liu Longqing, the Minister of Household Affairs. Both of them are officials closest to the emperor, and they can discuss matters that cover Daxia. People's livelihood, taxation, legislation, finance and many other important centers.
"Your Majesty, the land of Suhu is facing a severe drought this year. The rice sown in spring is about to be harvested in summer, but the crops are dead. I am afraid that the people will starve..."
"Grain merchants everywhere are driving up prices. Most of the government's granaries are in crisis. The people are suffering terribly. If this continues, I'm afraid..."
"Fan Qing." Fan Yan said very seriously, but before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the emperor.
Yu Daocheng glanced at him dissatisfied and said in a deep voice: "Why does it sound like you are about to die in Daxia?"
Liu Longqing, the Minister of Household Affairs, curled his lips, raised his hands and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, Mr. Fan has this problem. He always likes to exaggerate. I have been in Daxia for a few years, and it is at its peak. How can it be possible for the people under my rule to live and work in peace and contentment? When people starve to death on the streets, I guess Lord Fan just wants to attract the emperor's attention."
The same important ministers have the same closeness and distance. After hearing Liu Longqing's words, Yu Daocheng's brows obviously relaxed a lot.
True advice is harsh to the ears, good medicine is bitter to the mouth, that is what they say, but who wants to listen to unpleasant words?
Liu Longqing tried to smooth things over, but Fan Yan didn't appreciate it.
Scholars, burning bamboo will not destroy its knots, and breaking jade will not change its whiteness.
He still continued to report: "Your Majesty, everything the minister said is true. Nowadays, all the grain stored by many governments in various places have been transported to the army to prepare for border wars, and they have neglected to rescue the people! These extra troops, They are of no use to the country and their redundant troops and generals are really causing great pain to our country, so please, Your Majesty, disarm us!"
"You mean, it's all my fault that I took the initiative to expand my army to resist foreigners?!"
Yu Daocheng patted the bed excitedly, and the dragon's anger exploded with frightening power.
"I don't dare!" Fan Yan immediately bowed his head and apologized.
"Ahem..."
After being so angry just now, Yu Daocheng's secret disease accumulated over the years broke out again. His face turned pale and he couldn't stop coughing.
Although Liu Longqing was happy to see Fan Yanzai somersault, he had to come out and smooth things over again.
"Your Majesty, calm down, the dragon body is important."
"Master Fan, the severe drought you mentioned is indeed true, but the consequences are too exaggerated. Our Daxia treasury is full, and all we have to do is provide food to the places that are short of food. Your Majesty, please be kind and give me the imperial city." The extra money and grain will be transported to various places, which will not only solve the problem, but also let the people of the world feel the emperor's grace."
"This army must never be laid off. If there was no eldest prince guarding the northern border, I'm afraid those alien races would have attacked us long ago."
After listening to Liu Longqing's words, Yu Daocheng felt that his cough had improved a lot and nodded in approval:
"What Liu Aiqing said makes sense. Transport the surplus grain around the imperial city to meet the urgent needs. The palace will also save money, and we should be able to get through it."
After Fan Yan heard this, he lamented in his heart and felt angry and anxious.
If Suhu is ripe, the world will have enough. Now that all the granaries in the world are in need, how can there be enough food in the imperial capital?
You must know that this severe drought can affect the harvest in the second half of the year. It will last for so long that without a large amount of food support, it will be far from being able to survive.
"Your Majesty, this food is..."
"Okay, I'm a little tired today. Let's discuss this later." Fan Yan was interrupted again before he could finish his words.
Obviously, as we get older, we don't like to hear bad things.
The same goes for Yu Daocheng. He rubbed his head impatiently and said to Fan Yan, "Please step back."
"yes."
Fan Yan said goodbye and turned to leave.
When he went out, he glanced at the untouched delicacies on the table and sighed deeply.
I'm afraid the people will be sad this year.
Liu Longqing, who was in the bedroom, was still standing there very honestly.
"What's going on with Huang'er recently?"
"Your Majesty, everything is going well with the eldest prince, there are sufficient weapons, the border is quite stable, and everyone is in peace."
"Well, not bad. Qinghan... over there."
When Liu Longqing heard these two words, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
Because the emperor has not mentioned this name for a long time.
"Princess...she lives in seclusion in a salt city in the south and is living a pretty good life."
Yu Daocheng, who was lying on the dragon's roof, had a complicated expression in his wrinkled eyes.
"It's a pity that she is a girl after all."
Liu Longqing nodded positively and agreed: "Yes, based on the princess's record and meritorious deeds back then, she should be the leader of all the generals and the first of the three armies. If she were a man, I am afraid she would be able to take over the emperor's mission."
Yu Daocheng slowly closed his eyes and said: "This is probably why she hates me so much. It doesn't matter if she leaves, there are too many disputes here."
After Liu Longqing listened, he lowered his head and remained silent.
He is very smart and knows what to say and what not to say.
At that time, the reputation of the generals in the court had a tendency to surpass that of the emperor. The generals only knew the generals but not the rest.
Who will sit on the throne is very important, and there must be no mess. Maybe the princess chose to leave because she was tired of it.
"Where's Pei Ming? I haven't seen him for a year. How is he doing?"
Liu Longqing smiled slightly: "Pei Ming, King of Changning, is living a comfortable life. He released his daughter to the sect and travels with his wife every day. He is very happy."
When Yu Daocheng heard this, he became interested: "Daughter? If I remember correctly, her name is Pei Xiangyun."
"It's Princess Xiangyun." Liu Longqing smiled and nodded.
Yu Daocheng couldn't help but smile: "I married this girl with the name Xiangyun when I saw her beauty. I didn't expect that she has already reached this age."
"Isn't that right? Your Majesty, Princess Xiangyun is a fierce person and behaves erratically. No, she was sent directly to the sect for discipline. This Prince Changning is also very cruel."
...
By the time Liu Longqing came out of the Yangxin Hall, the sky was already dark.
Liu Longqing looked at the palace in front of him and smiled meaningfully.
He left quickly and walked all the way out of the palace to a restaurant in the market called "Daxing House".
After going up the stairs and sitting by the window on the second floor, there was already a table of delicious food and wine waiting, and a man was sitting on the seat.
"Master Liu really cares about the people, and he has stayed in the palace for so long." The man chuckled, picked up the wine glass, and filled two wine glasses.
"No, I, Liu, am just doing my best." Liu Longqing shook his head while holding the wine.
"There was a severe drought. I thought that Fan Yan would interfere and the plan would be stalled. Unexpectedly, Mr. Liu solved the problem with just one mouth. His Highness the King of Qin is very satisfied."
"As long as His Highness is satisfied." Liu Longqing said with a flattering smile.
...
