Vientiane Shrine, main hall.
The ministers gathered together, chatting and laughing, waiting for the Queen's arrival.
In the harem, the Queen's bedroom, Nangong Wan'er and other female officials are dressing up the Queen. Today is a special day, and she must dress up to show her dignity.
"Wan'er, come here and take a closer look at my eyes."
The queen sat in front of the dressing table, staring at the bronze mirror in front of her without blinking, tilting her head slightly, her expression of joy mixed with a hint of worry.
Nangong Wan'er was holding a gold hairpin in her hand, ready to put it on the Queen. After hearing this, she hurriedly handed the gold hairpin to the female officer aside, leaned over and looked at the Queen in the bronze mirror.
The reflective ability of the bronze mirror is actually good, but of course not as good as the glass mirrors of later generations.
Some processing flaws inevitably remain on its surface, but they do not affect the queen's stunning appearance at all.
"Your Majesty is so beautiful, especially your eyes, which are as beautiful as the bright moon. I like it very much when I see it!" Nangong Wan'er said with a smile on her lips.
For women, nice words are never enough. Nangong Wan'er's words made the queen's mouth curl up unconsciously.
But soon, the arc disappeared. She continued to tilt her neck, staring at herself in the bronze mirror and said, "Look at my right eye, is it dancing?"
Right eye jump?
Nangong Wan'er's heart trembled slightly.
Then he cheered up.
Folks often say, "A twitching left eye brings fortune and a twitching right eye brings disaster." The queen felt that her right eye was twitching, which was very unlucky. Moreover, today is another happy day.
She came closer and stared carefully at the Queen's right eye in the bronze mirror. After observing for a while, she found that the Queen's right eye was indeed twitching!
Oops!
This gave her a chill in her heart.
If not handled properly, disaster may result.
"How's it going? Do you see clearly?" Seeing that she didn't reply for a long time, the Queen urged her.
"Reporting to your majesty, this slave... did not see your majesty's right eye twitching."
Nangong Wan'er secretly took a deep breath and finally decided to hide it.
It's risky, but it's better than getting burned.
She has lived in the palace for a long time, serving the queen. As the saying goes, accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger. Some things are untouchable, so pretending to be stupid is actually a survival strategy.
"Really? But I always feel uncomfortable in my right eye. Could it be that... the eyeliner was not drawn well? Or maybe something got dirty just now?" The Queen frowned and guessed.
"Your Majesty, it is not a trivial matter to have something dirty in your eyes. I will go and ask the imperial doctor right now..." Nangong Wan'er said and was about to open her eyes.
"That's all, it's not very uncomfortable." The Queen waved her hand and said, "Every minister has been waiting in the main hall for a long time, and we can't delay it any longer."
"Yes." Nangong Wan'er secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let's just do this for now, and show off to the All-Seeing Palace." The Queen took one last look at herself in the bronze mirror, squeezed her right eye unnaturally, stood up and gave instructions to Nangong Wan'er.
"According to the order."
"..."
Unexpectedly, as soon as the Queen took two steps, a voice suddenly came from outside the bedroom:
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, something bad is going on! Something is going wrong!"
The Queen paused, her whole body trembling, and suddenly remembered the "right eye twitching" just now, and without caring about anything else, she hurriedly ordered:
"What's wrong? Come in and talk."
"According to the decree..."
An old eunuch stumbled into the dormitory. When he saw the queen, he knelt on the ground and howled in a tearful voice:
"Your Majesty, news just came that the fleet...the fleet transporting tax money encountered rough waves on the river last night!"
"What did you say?!"
Queen Emei rose from her grave, stared at the old eunuch and asked, "Are you talking about the fleet that transported the 600,000 taels of taxable silver from Ping'an City?"
"Exactly!"
"Encountered a storm..."
The queen's expression changed suddenly and she almost lost her balance. Fortunately, Nangong Wan'er was there to support her.
The Queen is the Queen after all. After her expression calmed down, she asked again: "When did it happen?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the news just came. It should have happened at midnight last night."
"Then what? How many ships were destroyed? How many were salvaged?" the Queen asked.
"I don't know for the moment, the only message that came just now..."
The queen's expression was gloomy and uncertain. She got rid of Nangong Wan'er's support, turned around slowly, turned her back to the old eunuch, remained silent for a long time, and then ordered:
"Pass an order to seal all the gates of the Imperial City. No one is allowed in or out. Anyone who disobeys the order will be executed! The news that the tax and silver transport fleet encountered a storm must not be spread outside the Imperial City!"
"According to the order." A female official hurriedly went down to deliver the order.
"Invite Su Aiqing, You Niang, and General Yan here. I want to see them." The Queen ordered again.
"yes."
"..."
When Su Xian, Princess Lanling, and Yan Dashan arrived at the Queen's bedchamber, the Queen received them in the side hall.
Beside the Queen, in addition to Nangong Wan'er, there was also a woman wearing a mask, that was Du Juan, the leader of the Imperial Guard.
After performing the courtesy of a monarch and a minister, the Queen directly informed Su Xian and others of the news.
Su Xian, Lan Ling and Yan Dashan were all shocked when they heard this.
This happened so suddenly.
"Your Majesty, the top priority is to immediately send someone to the location of the incident to find out what happened last night." Lan Ling suggested.
"I have sent hundreds of internal guards spies to take the lead, but they alone are not enough." The Queen looked sideways at Yan Dashan and said:
"I can't believe anyone else. Just let General Lao Yan personally lead the Longwu Army. No matter what happens, we must ensure the safety of the 600,000 taels of tax silver."
"The last general has given orders!"
Yan Dashan also knew that the matter was critical, clasped his fists and saluted, then turned and left.
The 600,000 taels of tax money are the lifeblood of the Longwu Army and cannot be lost, otherwise the army expansion will fail and the food and salary for the next few months will be a problem.
If there is a lack of food and wages, it will be tantamount to a devastating blow to the newly formed Longwu Army!
Not even him, not even Su Xian or the Queen could bear such consequences...
"Your Majesty, please relax."
At this time, Su Xian stood up.
He is the leader of Dongge of the Neiwei, and the entire Hebei Province is under his jurisdiction. As a result, something like this happened on his land, and he has no shirk of responsibility.
"Ping'an City's tax bank is of great importance. I have arranged many people to escort us in advance, covertly and covertly. Just one-third of the crew members on the transport fleet are experts in our internal security."
"I believe that with their presence, no matter how serious the situation is, it won't be much worse."
After hearing this, the Queen breathed a sigh of relief and nodded: "It's good that Su Aiqing has already made arrangements. In fact, I also ordered Du Juan to make some preparations..."
"It's just that the value of these 600,000 taels of tax silver is not just that. This is an opportunity for my beam to turn from decline to victory. It is related to luck, so there can be no negligence!"
Su Xian doesn't agree with the "luck" statement.
Because it’s too mysterious.
However, it is true that there cannot be any negligence in 600,000 taels of tax money.
Because before this, the Queen has publicized this matter to everyone in the world, and is also planning to hold a grand court meeting, a general amnesty for the world, and a banquet for all ministers today.
If the 600,000 taels were lost, wouldn't it be a slap in the face?
Not to mention the Queen, even the ministers Su Xian, Lan Ling and others felt that their faces were shameless. It would be strange if they were not laughed to death by the enemies, both overt and covert!
On the way from the Wanxiang Shrine, Su Xian had already learned that the Queen ordered the entire imperial city to be sealed off. It seemed that the Queen had also taken this into consideration.
"correct."
The Queen raised her eyebrows and looked at Su Xian and Lan Ling: "Tell me, what happened last night, is it possible that remnants of the previous dynasty or other hostile forces were behind the scenes?"
Su Xian had already considered this possibility, shook his head and said:
"Your Majesty, I think it is unlikely."
"The remnants of the former dynasty are currently busy fighting for power with the Chu Emperor. Whether it is what I saw and heard when I went to Southern Chu, or the intelligence sent back by the internal guards, this is proven."
"As for other forces, it is even less likely that the Liao Kingdom, Nanchen Kingdom, and Shu Kingdom have no motive to hijack the 600,000 taels of tax silver."
The Queen and Lan Ling both nodded slowly: "That makes sense."
Su Xian continued:
"As for the storm that the transport fleet encountered last night, I believe that it was most likely caused by nature, and the fleet just happened to encounter it."
"For this reason, I specially invited Tai Shi Ling. Maybe he can give us some answers. Tai Shi Ling is waiting for His Majesty's summons outside the palace."
The Queen immediately waved her hand and said: "Proclaim Tai Shi Ling."
Taishi Ling, the Shangguan of the Taishi Bureau, is subordinate to the Secretariat Department. The Taishi Ling is responsible for observing astronomy and determining almanacs. Any changes in the sun, moon, stars, wind, clouds, and complexion will follow their attributes and wait for them.
Taishi Bureau is also known as "Qin Tianjian", and Taishi Ling is the supervisor of Qin Tianjian. His main responsibilities are to observe the sky at night and revise the calendar, so it is more than enough for him to check the weather.
Following the Queen's order, Taishi Ling bowed in and said, "Meet Her Majesty the Queen."
"Excuse me, Ping Shen. You have been observing the sky all day long. Have you ever noticed that there was a violent storm in the eastern area of the divine capital last night?" the Queen asked directly.
"Reporting to your Majesty, I watched the sky last night and indeed found a violent storm in the east of the capital city." Tai Shiling said.
"Sure enough, could this really be an accident?"
The Queen nodded and fell into deep thought.
After Taishi Ling bowed and retreated, Su Xian advised: "Your Majesty, please relax, I'm sure good news will come soon."
"I hope so." The Queen nodded.
As soon as he finished speaking, an excited voice came from outside the palace: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, good news, great news..."
In an instant, everyone in the side hall, including the Queen, Su Xian, Lan Ling, etc., all looked outside the hall at the same time.
I saw a little eunuch running quickly with an ecstatic smile on his face.
Everyone's hearts were slightly moved, could it be...
"Your Majesty..." The little eunuch entered the palace and knelt on the ground: "Good news, I just received good news... the 600,000 taels of tax money are safe and sound!"
"Is this true?"
The queen stood up and stared at the eunuch.
Su Xian and Lan Ling also had expressions on their faces. Lan Ling asked, "Don't be anxious. Speak slowly. Didn't we encounter a storm last night? Could things have turned around?"
"What the princess said is that although the fleet encountered wind and waves last night and caused some losses, fortunately the captain had already made arrangements. There were many good people on the fleet and along the coast. Everyone worked together and finally got through the storm safely. A storm!”
"Six hundred thousand taels of tax money, not a tael less, only a few boats and three accompanying crew members were lost..."
"According to the report of the general escorting the tax money, it will be successfully transported to the capital before noon today!"
The Queen was overjoyed when she heard this, her face was filled with joy, and her hearty laughter shook the entire side hall.
Su Xian and Lan Ling also breathed a sigh of relief.
"The loss of a few boats is nothing. As for the three crew members, according to my decree, their families will receive three times the compensation for their sacrifices on the battlefield!" The Queen was so happy that she couldn't help but smile from ear to ear.
"Your Majesty is wise." Su Xian and Lan Ling sent a flattering plan at the right time.
"..."
A quarter of an hour ago.
Vientiane Shrine, main hall.
After Su Xian, Lan Ling and Yan Dashan were called away alone by the Queen, the atmosphere in the hall changed.
All the ministers looked at each other, wondering what the Queen meant by this. Didn't she say that she was going to hold a big court meeting? Why did they only summon Su Xian and three others alone?
At this time, the ministers just remembered that half of the morning had almost passed, and the Queen had not arrived yet!
Even though it is understandable that the Queen needs to dress up, such an important day should not be delayed for such a long time.
What's going on?
The ministers began to have thoughts in their minds.
After a while, the big news came——
The fleet, loaded with 600,000 taels of taxable silver, encountered a storm last night...
There was sudden silence in the hall.
The ministers looked at each other.
No wonder, no wonder the Queen has not come to the Wanxiang Palace for a long time. No wonder the Queen summoned Su Xian, Lan Ling and Yan Dashan alone. Such a big thing happened last night!
These ministers are all human beings, and their brows are frowning more and more. They all have a premonition that a violent storm is about to sweep across the entire divine capital, and no one will be spared...
Since ancient times, some people are sad and some are happy.
For example, Qian Zhongshu and a few other ministers.
After they understood what was going on, their spirits were shaken. This is good news!
Without the 600,000 taels, the Longwu Army would not be able to expand, and even the current Longwu Army’s food and salary would be a problem...
They were happy to see the Longwu Army fall apart.
Although Qian Zhongshu remained silent and never taunted Su Xian or attacked Lan Ling, he gradually straightened his chest and led his followers to the center of the hall, arrogantly.
…
at the same time.
Outside the imperial city.
Somewhere in the city of God, the bustling streets and alleys, where ordinary people were busy with their own livelihoods and passers-by in a hurry, suddenly started to boil violently——
The 600,000 taels of tax paid by Ping'an City are gone!
The fleet encountered a storm last night and all sank to the bottom of the river!
Yes, even though the Queen sealed all the gates of the Imperial City, this news still spread to the Divine Capital City and became known to the people.
"Six hundred thousand taels...all...gone?!" People stopped what they were doing, and passers-by also stopped to watch, looking stunned and in disbelief.
"Impossible, that's the court's tax money, and the amount is huge. It's impossible to just say it's gone." Some people didn't believe it.
"This must be a rumor. It must be a rumor spread by those hateful guys. Don't believe it."
"Who said it was a rumor?"
At this time, several people appeared in front of everyone with smiles.
The sharp-eyed people recognized at a glance that these were the bastards who slandered the Taiwei's reputation a few days ago!
"You might as well go to the Imperial City and take a look. The gates of the Imperial City are closed. Why is that? Haha, it is to prevent the news from leaking and being known by you bunch of bastards!"
"Impossible!" People didn't believe him at all.
However, at this moment, someone came with bad news: "Exception! All the gates of the Imperial City have been closed, and no one is allowed to enter or exit!"
