Li Ju woke up from a nightmare.
What was different from the past was that when he had nightmares earlier, he would see blood in the palace, either from his father-in-law or from the guards who came in.
But since Du Wenping succeeded his father to the palace, Li Ju, who had nightmares again, would only lie there with his eyes blank for a long time every time he woke up from nightmares, and would not get out of bed to hurt anyone again.
He hurts people because his consciousness is chaotic and everyone he sees looks like a human face in a dream.
Those people, with their faces dripping with blood and their broken and mutilated bodies, stretched out their arms toward him one by one.
So Li Ju went to kill them all. He raised his sword and wanted to kill all these people.
But now, he can see clearly and distinctly.
One is a dream, the other is reality.
The more this happens, the more the fear that fills my heart has nowhere to vent.
When the chamberlain not far away saw him waking up, he called out in a low voice: "Your Majesty?"
Li Ju's complexion was sallow, as if he hadn't heard anything, and he lay there straight and silent, while his fragile nerves were still immersed in a dream.
In the dream, demons danced wildly, and he was the dinner for those demons in their feast.
They will all come to eat him!
Seeing Li Ju's forehead covered in cold sweat, the waiter didn't know what to do.
"Your Majesty..." the chamberlain called again in a low voice.
There was silence in the dormitory for a while, and Li Ju's hoarse voice suddenly said: "What time has it been?"
The chamberlain said: "It's time for you, Your Majesty."
Li Ju whispered: "It's so late."
"Your Majesty, would you like to order meals to be delivered from the imperial kitchen?"
"Yu Shiling, Wei Yaojun and others have been found."
The chamberlain held up his hands and lowered his head: "Your Majesty, no."
"It's ridiculous," Li Jue sat up from the bed, "They were all ministers of the court, holding important positions and holding high positions of power, and they disappeared under my nose? Just a few living people disappeared without a trace.
?!"
The waiter knelt on the ground in fear and did not dare to answer.
Li Ju said angrily: "Quickly send a message to Jinwu Guards Lu Guimin, Ling Wenyi, Zhang Jun, Imperial Guards Xun Fei, Zhao Jiange, Ma Fuying!"
The chamberlain was silent, raised his head and muttered: "Your Majesty, Captain Zhang... still hasn't returned."
"He hasn't come back yet?"
"yes."
"Where is Yan Yunwei?"
"Also...haven't returned yet."
After finishing speaking, there was still no reaction from Li Ju. The chamberlain raised his head carefully and saw Li Ju sitting motionless on the edge of the bed, his eyes not knowing where to focus.
This emperor, who was majestic and handsome in his youth, is now bloated, with hunched shoulders. He has just woken up from a big dream, and his temples are messy, looking quite depressed.
The waiter didn't dare to urge him and lowered his head.
After a long time, Li Jue looked around and broke the silence: "Where's Du Wenping?"
"Mr. Du left the palace this morning. Does the emperor want to summon him?"
"Well...let him do it."
"yes."
Half an hour later, Du Wenping entered the palace under a dark sky.
After being rigorously searched one after another by the Forbidden Army guards, he walked through the vast open space in front of Yanguang Hall and walked up the white marble steps.
The stars in the sky were scattered, the moon formed a bay, and suddenly a gust of evening wind blew up, blowing the sleeves of Du Wenping's robe.
Du Wenping raised his head and looked at this magnificent palace, just as a few night birds cooed by, flying across the sky and earth. For a moment, Du Wenping suddenly felt that the surroundings were endlessly empty and deserted.
There are no emperors, no palaces and castles, and no imperial guards.
It was too quiet, everything was eerily quiet.
It was clear that the unstoppable giant wheel of the times was about to roll in with such ferocity that Du Wenping seemed to be able to feel the splashing dust rushing towards him, but why was it so quiet?
He looked away, feeling an unspeakable desolation and sadness in his heart. He remained silent and walked towards Yanguang Hall.
·
The Hejing style has been famous for its youth since ancient times.
On a clear day, the bright colors reflect the rainbow sky, the smoke is long and the sky is clear, the city is full of black tiles and green bricks, and there is moss all the way across the bridge. It is elegant and meticulous, elegant and ancient.
When it rains, the sky is green with mist and rain, the clear water is flowing, the soft mountains and ridges are a layer of light green, the ancient streets and alleys are elegant in calligraphy, and you will be drawn into the painting as soon as you enter the city.
Since the spring of the Gengyin year, when the emperor moved the capital from Yong'an to Hejing, the original Qing of Hejing was added to the Zhu and Xuan of the dynasty.
The six city gates were expanded ten miles outward, the streets were widened, the old and dilapidated houses were torn down in pieces, and the new buildings were luxurious and withered. Although Mandu City lost its tranquility and elegance, it became more beautiful and glorious.
Queen Nangong passed away, and the whole world was mourned. The glory of Hejing was dimmed in the mourning, and the lights were sparse and dim, illuminating the paper money cluttering the street.
However, it is not lonely and lonely. Although the doors and windows of some secluded houses and inns are closed, there is a secret world inside.
Guided by two fellow villagers, Fan Dengchun walked through the corridor and entered the inner hall. He was stunned by the scene in front of him.
The main hall, which is not big or small, is full of people, both men and women, jostling each other.
Several middle-aged men in bright clothes were introducing tea varieties to everyone. They all spoke with strong Xucheng accents.
"Brother Fan, that's our Mr. Li!" A fellow villager pointed at the middle-aged man who was talking.
Fan Dengchun looked at Mr. Li. He was tall and burly. Behind him was a floor-to-ceiling wooden frame with a board on it. He was writing and drawing on it while talking.
Fan Dengchun confirmed that more than half of the people here were illiterate, but the pen in Mr. Li's hand seemed to have magic power. He drew straight lines one after another and pointed arrows one by one, which was quite fascinating.
Fan Dangchun listened for a long time and suddenly realized that Mr. Li was not talking about tea, but about the sale of tea and government and field taxes.
The pen in his hand is not the ink pen used by literati, but the charcoal pen commonly used by the Ministry of Industry.
Fan Dengchun lowered his voice and asked his fellow villagers: "Is Mr. Li really teaching people to make a fortune?"
One person said: "It's not Master Li who wants to teach, it's the neighbors who insist on Master Li teaching."
Fan Dengchun said: "Then Mr. Li is really a kind man. He can move it out and share it with others. I don't know what his intention is..."
"Oh, Second Brother Fan, Mr. Li is not the only one who is kind-hearted. And you see, we don't have to worry about food and clothing now, and we still have some food left over. I can't lie to you."
Fan Dengchun still couldn't believe it. It wasn't that he was suspicious, but that he had been accustomed to other people's faces for a long time.
Not to mention other things, even the emperor had to heavily deduct the money allocated to their Ministry of Industry to ask him how to trust others again.
Fan Dengchun asked: "Can you really make money?"
“It’s really profitable!”
Fan Dengchun felt itchy as he listened, looking at the pen in Master Li's hand, and suddenly thought of a serious question: "But isn't Xu Cheng very strict now?"
"Not only in Xucheng, but in the entire Mingtai County and the entire Xizhou, it's strict everywhere. So, aren't we secretly selling food?"
"Yes, I heard that there is a well-known big shot outside the channel who is taking care of things for us!"
Fan Dengchun was curious: "Who?"
"Master Zhi!"
Fan Dengchun was surprised, he was indeed a big shot.
Not only is he a big shot, he is also a dangerous person.
Fan Dengchun heard him mention this branch master more than once from Mr. Hang who came back from the next court. The emperor was extremely dissatisfied and disgusted with this person. Because the people in Mingtai County were very excited at the time, thousands of people accused Princess Yangping of what happened.
It has been confirmed that it is related to this guy.
Fan Dengchun asked in a low voice: "Then if you are caught, wouldn't you have to..."
The fellow countryman said: "Yes, if you are caught, you will die, but if you don't have money, it will be a dead end."
Another person also said: "That is, the taxes have been heavy in the past two years, and they are even more severe this year. How can we bear it? I heard that there are people in Lingzhou who are rebelling. To put it bluntly, if I hadn't met people from the Chamber of Commerce,
If you are willing to help us, maybe we will rebel too!"
Fan Dengchun couldn't hear the word "rebellion" and hurriedly said: "Shh! You don't want to die!"
"You!" The fellow countryman shook his head, looking at him with helpless and pitiful eyes.
"Brother Fan, who cares? It's just rebellion, it's just something to say," said another fellow countryman.
Fan Dangchun looked at the two of them in horror. The last time he saw them was in the spring of last year. How could it be that it had only been more than a year, and the two of them seemed to have been completely transformed.
·
Thank you for your great reward today. Sister, it’s a huge expense~Happy Lantern Festival!
This chapter has been completed!