Chapter 122 Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Xu! Xu Qingxiao has an eternal talent
ah!
In the court hall.
After the six troops finished asking for the money, at this moment, the generals spoke out.
With the words "Northern Expedition", the atmosphere in the court instantly became solemn.
The person who spoke was a Marquis, the Marquis of Quzhou.
He made a tune first.
Ask the Empress if we can discuss the Northern Expedition.
If we didn’t discuss the Northern Expedition before, it was because the treasury was running out of money. Now we have money, right?
Is it possible to continue the Northern Expedition?
"Master Hou! Now the Wei Dynasty is not suitable for the Northern Expedition. Although there is money in the treasury, the Wei Dynasty is in ruins and waiting to be revived. If the Northern Expedition is launched again, it will only be an astronomical sum. These 70,000 taels will not last long."
"The Northern Expedition cannot be carried out, and the people's livelihood of the Wei Dynasty should be given priority to."
Gu Yan became serious. He spoke directly and vetoed the Northern Expedition.
Yes, the Wei Dynasty now has silver, but the problem is that it cannot go to the north.
Absolutely no Northern Expedition.
Once the Northern Expedition begins, these 70,000 taels will not be enough. Unless you can ensure that you capture the north and kill all the barbarians within half a year, otherwise, the Northern Expedition will bring down the Wei Dynasty.
Furthermore, Wei finally had silver and had to do a lot of things. Is it his turn to go to the Northern Expedition?
"snort!"
"You said you have no money when you don't have any money, but you still say you can't go to the north when you have money? You civil servants and officials are all cowards. Now the barbarians in the north have begun to regroup and clamor at the border."
"If we don't attack and wait for them to recuperate, Jingcheng will be humiliated again. Who will go up at that time? Let you civil servants go up? Or let the scholar go over and scold them at the city gate? Curse them to death?"
Qu Zhouhou cursed extremely rudely.
Be firm.
"Qu Zhouhou, what are you doing to involve us Confucian scholars?"
Sun Jing'an frowned and said this.
"Then do you support our Northern Expedition?"
Qu Zhouhou asked.
"not support."
Sun Jing'an gave the answer.
"Isn't that enough? Is it wrong to scold you?"
"A bunch of cowards. I have recently received information that the Tuxie Dynasty and the Chu Yuan Dynasty are secretly sending a large amount of resources to the northern barbarians. It won't take long for these barbarians to come back."
"Instead of waiting for the barbarians from the north to attack, we should take the initiative to attack. Although we will pay a heavy price, we can at least crush the barbarians and prevent them from attacking our Wei Dynasty for thirty years."
"Without getting rid of the barbarians, the Wei Dynasty will never have stability and development."
Qu Zhouhou's voice was loud and clear, and there was nothing wrong with what he said.
The barbarians in the north are now looking at them with eager eyes. Although they were beaten hard by the seven Northern Expeditions, they can't resist the Tuxie Dynasty and the Chu Yuan Dynasty secretly providing resources.
These two dynasties couldn't wait to give half of the treasury to the northern barbarians, hoping that the northern barbarians could recover quickly and then fight back to the Wei Dynasty.
At that time, the Wei Dynasty will either ask for help from them, or the northern barbarians will attack Kyoto. In that case, they can send their troops down and seize the opportunity to grab various benefits in the name of helping the Wei Dynasty.
If you're lucky, it's not impossible to eat Dawei.
Therefore, the military attachés unanimously believe that the Wei Dynasty does need to develop, but the problem is that they won't let it. If you don't solve the trouble of the barbarians in the north now, wait three to five years, they will attack, and then the shame of Jingcheng will be revealed again.
"What Qu Zhouhou said is correct, but if we fight again, whether we can win is a question! After winning, the Wei Dynasty will be completely empty, except for the barbarians, but what about other foreign races? Won't they look at me like a tiger?
"
"Tuxie Dynasty and Chuyuan Dynasty, won't they take action?"
"To be honest, what if civil strife breaks out during the Northern Expedition?"
Gu Yan, the Minister of Household Affairs, did not speak loudly, but his words were eloquent.
You can fight if you want.
But the question is, have you considered the current situation of the Wei Dynasty? What will happen if you win? What resources can the northern barbarians get?
The most terrifying thing is that the Northern Expedition has just started and is already halfway through.
When civil strife breaks out, other small foreign countries will unite to fight against you.
The great Wei Dynasty was gone.
Moreover, once war breaks out, people's morale will inevitably be out of balance. No matter how much you explain or talk about it, for the people, fighting means killing people, causing accidents, and they will not be able to eat enough or sleep well.
When the time comes, the vassal king will raise his arms and call for everyone to overthrow the empress, and the Wei Dynasty will fall into extremely terrible civil strife.
Maybe the country has really changed hands.
"Huh, what do you mean, don't fight? Keep hiding and wait until the next Jingcheng disgrace comes? You civil servants and great scholars are all so scared that you have no backbone. If the late emperor had been born a few years earlier, he would have died a long time ago.
The Northern Expedition is needed."
Qu Zhouhou couldn't help but cursed.
As soon as he said these words, An Guogong's voice suddenly sounded.
"Don't be presumptuous."
He roared, and Qu Zhouhou instantly realized that he had said the wrong thing. He lowered his head and half-knelt in the tunnel.
"Your Majesty, I was in a hurry and talked nonsense. I hope your Majesty will forgive me."
Qu Zhouhou's face looked a little ugly, he was really angry.
"okay."
On the dragon chair, the empress spoke, and then her beautiful eyes fell on Baiguan. After a while, she spoke slowly.
"The Northern Expedition can indeed be discussed. What Qu Zhouhou said is true. If the foreign chaos is not quelled, it will be difficult for the Wei Dynasty to develop."
"According to my decree, the Ministry of War will immediately formulate a plan for the new Northern Expedition. Within three months, the Northern Expedition strategy must be submitted."
The empress's voice was very calm.
But these words were like thunder, causing the court to boil.
"Your Majesty! You must not do this!"
"Your Majesty, the Northern Expedition is absolutely impossible. I hope your Majesty will think twice."
"I hope your Majesty will think twice. If we continue the Northern Expedition, there will be no peace for the Wei Dynasty."
The first to react were the civil servants and Confucian officials. They all knelt down almost immediately. Even the Prime Minister Chen Zhengru knelt on the ground and shouted for His Majesty to think again.
No one expected that the empress actually agreed, and also asked the Ministry of War to study the plan and write out a new strategy for the Northern Expedition within three months. This seemed to be serious.
The military attachés were a little confused. They didn't expect that the empress would be so forthcoming and would she really agree?
You must know that they had no intention of the Empress agreeing today. They just mentioned it and asked the Empress to think about it carefully, but they did not expect that she actually agreed.
The next moment, the military attache's smile completely disappeared.
"Your Majesty is mighty!"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Led by An Guogong, all the military officers knelt down and bowed to the empress. They were excited, really excited.
After all, the emperor's words cannot be changed, and the Ministry of War is asked to make new strategies for the Northern Expedition. This is obviously serious.
"His Majesty!"
Chen Zhengru shouted, but what he got in exchange was two words.
"Retreat from the court."
After the words fell, the empress stood up and left, retreating directly from the court, giving people a look of determination.
After a while, the military attaches left in great excitement.
The civil servants and officials could not recover for a long time. If the Northern Expedition were to take place, it would be a huge blow to them.
About half an hour later.
What happened in the court spread instantly throughout the Wei Dynasty.
For a while, the people were a little panicked. Naturally, they did not want to fight anymore. When they heard that the Northern Expedition might be launched again, they felt inexplicably depressed.
However, the people in Kyoto were okay. Many people supported the Northern Expedition and were very excited. After all, the humiliation of Jingcheng was still fresh in their minds and they almost reached Kyoto. How could they, as people in Kyoto, not know?
So when I heard that the Empress wanted to go to the Northern Expedition, the number of people who supported her gradually increased.
The situation is different in other parts of the Wei Dynasty. Fortunately, this matter has not been completely determined. It is just left to the Ministry of War to draw up. Whether it will be implemented depends on what the empress does.
It's just that on this day, countless letters flew out from Da Wei, and countless pairs of eyes stared at Da Wei's every move. Such a big thing would be known to the whole world in less than half a day.
Inside an ancient pagoda in Kyoto.
It's still a secret room.
The three kings of Huaining are gathered here, but today there is one more person, the king of Zhenxi.
"What a God-given opportunity. This foolish king actually dares to start the Northern Expedition again. As long as the army goes to the Northern Expedition, at the critical moment, we can raise our troops to rebel."
King Zhenxi's voice sounded, his tone full of excitement and expectation.
"I thought that this time Fan Shang was killed and we suffered heavy losses, but what I didn't expect was that when this foolish king saw so much tax money, he actually wanted to expedition to the north. He was stupid, stupid, really stupid."
Another person's voice sounded, full of emotion.
"Well, these merchants make a lot of money for us every year, accounting for at least about 30% of our total. Now they have been uprooted by Xu Qingxiao. I don't know how many vassal kings have become furious and even plan to go directly to the capital to kill people. But today this foolish king
I'm afraid it won't be long before I can enter Beijing openly."
"When that time comes, this Xu Qingxiao will undoubtedly die."
The third voice sounded, and he revealed a secret.
There are already vassal kings who are preparing to leave for Kyoto and plan to kill Xu Qingxiao directly. After all, Xu Qingxiao uprooted Fan Shang, which is a huge loss for them. It is even said that this kind of loss is worse than the revenge of killing his father.
But fortunately, the empress actually took the initiative to mention the Northern Expedition today, and even asked the Ministry of War to formulate a strategy for the Northern Expedition. This is simply a God-given opportunity.
The three of them were all a little excited and happy, and expressed satisfaction with the empress's decision.
But King Huaining's voice sounded.
"No."
He shook his head, and under the gaze of the three people, he continued to speak.
"I feel that this matter is by no means that simple. This foolish king cannot be so stupid. If we launch an expedition to the north at this juncture, the Wei Dynasty will really be doomed."
King Huaining held a different opinion.
"Your Majesty, why does this foolish king want to initiate the Northern Expedition? He has already asked the Ministry of War to draw up a plan for the Northern Expedition. What's the point of doing this? To appease the military attachés? These military attaches are not good people. If you really want to deceive them, I guess they will never do it.
I will give up and let it go."
"Yes, these military attaches have been looking forward to this day for too long. If they just talk casually, how can these military attaches give up?"
"King Huaining, what do you mean?"
The three of them were all curious. No matter how they looked at this matter, it was because the empress wanted to make the Northern Expedition.
Otherwise, why did the Ministry of War specifically ask the Ministry of War to formulate a strategy for the Northern Expedition? Isn’t this because we have enough to eat and nothing to do?
Once the Northern Expedition strategy is drawn up, as long as there are no major problems in detail, the next step is to start the campaign. Otherwise, the Ministry of War will not agree to it.
"I suspect that she wants to protect Xu Qingxiao."
"Xu Qingxiao uprooted Fan Shang and killed more than 400 people. Memorials to vassal kings from all over the country piled up. The last time my son was killed, although they also filed memorials, it had nothing to do with their interests after all. At most, they just verbally insulted a few people.
sentence."
"But this time, Xu Qingxiao has touched their interests. These vassal kings will never spare Xu Qingxiao lightly. Therefore, in order to protect Xu Qingxiao, this foolish king came up with the Northern Expedition to contain the vassal princes and us."
"It's not just us, but also those foreign countries, lest they take the opportunity to make trouble and silence them with the Northern Expedition. Otherwise, if these foreign countries really make trouble, it will be a headache for Wei."
"This trick is really wonderful. One thing can contain three parties. Even the Tuxie Dynasty and the Chu Yuan Dynasty may be contained. It not only protects Xu Qingxiao, but also contains many parties."
"She is the biggest winner no matter what. As for the angry military attachés, so what? She is your Majesty after all. The military attachés of Wei will not commit treason because of this matter. I even think that the empress has already had an affair with a certain Duke.
After we have negotiated, everything is just a show for the world to see."
King Huaining was extremely smart. He saw through this plan instantly and believed that the empress did not do this because she wanted to go to the Northern Expedition, but she wanted to use the Northern Expedition strategy to contain many parties and make everyone wait patiently, like a fool.
Of course, giving Wei time to develop is also to protect Xu Qingxiao. Otherwise, after killing so many Fanshang, do you really think that everything will be fine?
"Isn't this impossible? Just for Xu Qingxiao to protect the area?"
"Impossible. Even if Xu Qingxiao has a plan, what can be done to protect him?"
"I don't believe it either. Besides, the new strategy for the Northern Expedition will be sent out in three months. Even if the empress wants to delay, why not say half a year?"
All three of them were a little unconvinced. The main reason was that they asked the Ministry of War to draw up a strategy for the Northern Expedition just to protect Xu Qingxiao? This is a bit outrageous.
You know, Jun Wu Xiyan, if your words get out, the people of the Wei Dynasty will know about it, and it will make people panic, which is also a loss.
And they didn't believe that they paid such a price just to protect Xu Qingxiao!
Besides, why not postpone it to half a year? Three months will pass in no time.
"Three months to formulate a new strategy for the Northern Expedition. This is her cleverness. If she really said half a year to a year, she would not be restrained. It is because she said three months, and everyone thought it might be true, but three months
Then, just find some reason and ask the Ministry of War to revise it, and then revise it again after three months, and repeat it several times."
"If this doesn't work, don't mention it. Can you guys tell me this strategy?"
King Huaining had an insight into everything and explained the plan clearly.
As soon as they said this, the three of them suddenly realized that, yes, it took three months to attract everyone's attention, but after three months, they could reject it for any reason.
After all, the Northern Expedition involves the country, so the first article will definitely be rejected. When the time comes, the second and third articles will be almost done, so I won’t mention it anymore and just ignore it.
What a plan.
What a good plan.
"Then Your Majesty, what should we do? Do we need to inform the other princes?"
someone asked.
"No, if you can guess it, you will understand. If you can't guess it, even if you say it, they won't believe it. Instead, they will think that we have other purposes."
"Forget it, just let Xu Qingxiao escape this disaster. This is a conspiracy. We can only sit back and wait for death. But this is fine. If this faint king really does this, he will definitely lose some people's hearts. Moreover, the Tuxie Dynasty and Chu Xie Dynasty recently
The Yuan Dynasty had close contacts with the northern barbarians."
"It's impossible that she doesn't know about this kind of thing. She might really go on the Northern Expedition. It's not impossible that she might be self-defeating. Now I just wait and see what happens."
King Huaining did not let everyone act rashly. If you can guess this kind of thing, you can guess it. If you can't guess it, it is useless to say more.
Just wait peacefully and keep the same in response to all changes. Now that they are qualified to rebel, they are just waiting for an opportunity where the right time, place and people come together.
"OK."
The three of them nodded, but didn't say anything else.
But at the end, the voice of King Zhenxi sounded.
"King Huaining, have you found the orphan of Emperor Wu?"
King Zhenxi spoke, and with one sentence the scene instantly became quiet.
"No, but there are already corresponding clues, and they will be found soon. If the orphan of Emperor Wu is found, there is no need to wait for any chance, and this faint king can be overthrown directly."
King Huaining said firmly.
"kindness."
The three of them nodded, but they weren't sure what they were thinking.
And at this time.
Kyoto of the Great Wei Dynasty, Shouren Academy.
Xu Qingxiao was sitting in the pavilion, Chen Xinghe was playing with the tea set at the side, and Gu Yan, the Minister of Household Affairs, said with a serious expression.
"Shouren, you are deeply favored by His Majesty. You must dissuade His Majesty from the Northern Expedition. No matter what, the Northern Expedition is not allowed. We, the Ministry of Revenue, have finally accumulated some money. If the Northern Expedition is carried out, I, as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, would rather not be here.
.”
"Furthermore, Shouren, let me tell you the truth. I have already seen your talent. You are an eternal talent. As long as you are willing, when I retire, this minister will belong to you, Xu Shouren."
"Today in the court, Mr. Wang from the Ministry of Rites, Mr. Zhang from the Ministry of Punishment, Mr. Chen from the Ministry of Personnel, and Mr. Li from the Ministry of Works all asked me for money. These guys are all very shameless. I can say whatever they want.
Only then did I get enough money."
"I have done all this in the hope that if you take over my position in the future, you will still have some money in the treasury, so that you won't be in a mess like me when you took over."
"Shouren, you must remember that the money in the treasury can only go in and out. Unless it is a big event that must be spent, otherwise you cannot give money to other aspects of life and death. They are both wolves and tigers, and they are thick-skinned.
Don’t get too close to them on weekdays.”
"You treat them as your seniors, but they treat you as a fat pig, asking for money in various ways, you know?"
Gu Yan came to Shouren Academy to find Xu Qingxiao because of the Northern Expedition. He asked Xu Qingxiao to go to the palace to have a good talk with His Majesty if nothing happened. Even though he knew Xu Qingxiao, the talks might not lead to any results.
But at least it has some effect, and the rest is about the money in the household department.
Regarding the Northern Expedition, it has not yet been determined whether the war will start. Chen Zhengru also said that he would wait three months before making any announcement. If His Majesty really wants to go to the Northern Expedition, they will stop it even if they insist on it.
Therefore, we cannot rush the Northern Expedition now.
After understanding this, Gu Yan's first reaction was to come to Xu Qingxiao to complain about the other ministers, intending to teach Xu Qingxiao a lesson so that Xu Qingxiao would do the same in the future and keep his money.
"Don't worry, Mr. Gu, I will definitely hold on to these silver coins. I understand what you are saying. The envoys from all countries used to give money every year. That was because the Wei Dynasty had family wealth, but now it has no family wealth. To put it bluntly,
Mr. Gu, please don’t spread the word."
"If I were you, I wouldn't give you a tael. The clothes of the officials are not bad, so why do you need to change them? Can't you just reward the envoys with some local specialties? Do you want gold, silver and jewels? They gave them to me again.
What did Wei contribute?"
"These people just don't know how expensive firewood, rice, oil and salt are."
What Xu Qingxiao said was true. Gu Shangshu explained everything that happened in the court today.
The Ministry of Rites allocates 2 million. It really shouldn’t be given to whom. It should be given to the envoys from all nations? If you want him to be in charge, don’t give it to him! Go away. It’s useless even if your majesty says it. He won’t listen or he will listen, just a bastard chanting sutras.
As soon as he said this, Gu Yan suddenly laughed.
"Yes, yes, Shouren, what you said is really right. I really can't tell on normal days that you actually know how to save so much. Yes, yes, I won't cheat you. To tell the truth, as long as your Majesty is sure that you will not save money within twenty years,
In the Northern Expedition, you can take my position."
Gu Yan is very happy. Xu Qingxiao not only has the ability to make money, but also has the awareness to save money. How can this not make him happy?
"Mr. Gu, I'm serious, I'm serious. You can still hold this position for another twenty years. It's enough for me to be a minister. I'm still young. I'll learn from you. If I really want to be in a position, I won't look back.
I guarantee these people will come to me to get money."
"I can't bear it."
What Xu Qingxiao said was half true and half false. The truth was that he was really reluctant to part with it, but the lie was that if he really needed to spend money, he would still give it, and he would give it generously.
"Well, anyway, you just need to learn from me. Remember, don't get too close to other departments if you have nothing to do. The same goes for the Criminal Department. Our Household Department must be impartial and selfless. We have a good relationship. If he asks you for money, don't give it to anyone who offends him.
We feel sorry for you."
"Okay, it's getting late, I'll leave first."
Seeing Xu Qingxiao being so polite, Gu Yan had nothing to say and stood up with a wide smile.
"Master Gu, don't you want to stay for dinner?"
Xu Qingxiao enthusiastically persuaded her to stay.
"Don't eat. You've been resting recently and you'll be busy again in a few days."
Gu Yan waved his hand and left directly.
After Gu Yan left, Xu Qingxiao breathed a sigh of relief and was about to say a few words to her senior brother.
Soon, Zhang Jing, the Minister of Punishment, arrived.
"Zhang Shangshu."
Xu Qingxiao said hello and smiled.
"Shouren, what is Gu Yan doing here? What did he tell you?"
Zhang Jing saw Gu Yan when he came and couldn't help but ask.
"It's nothing. I just talked about the Northern Expedition and asked me to persuade His Majesty."
Xu Qingxiao said casually.
"Well, that's why I came here."
"Since he told you, I won't talk about it. I'll tell you another thing."
"Shouren, do you want to come back? Go back to the Ministry of Justice and I will help you find a position as a minister. The rank is the same. There are many difficult cases in the Ministry of Justice now, so you have to come and help."
Zhang Jing spoke up and told his purpose.
"Ah? Zhang Shangshu, there's no need for that. I'll just continue to stay at the Ministry of Revenue."
Xu Qingxiao said with a gentle smile.
"What's wrong? Are you looking down on our criminal department?"
As soon as he said this, Zhang Jing immediately became a little unhappy.
"No, Zhang Shangshu, Qingxiao came from the Ministry of Punishment, how could he look down on the Ministry of Punishment? That's what you said."
"Zhang Shangshu, did you ask Shangshu Gu for some silver in the court today to relieve the pressure on the Ministry of Punishment?"
Xu Qingxiao asked.
As soon as he said this, Zhang Jing immediately became angry.
"Yes, this old guy, Shouren, let's say it in good conscience. The Punishment Department works hard every day. I want three million taels to increase the manpower and add point difference compensation. It can also be regarded as providing some benefits to the Punishment Department. Otherwise, who will pay for it?
Are you willing to come to our Criminal Department?"
"But this old thing has caused His Majesty to only give you 700,000 taels. It's better not to give it. The treasury has an extra 700,000 taels of cash and 50,000 taels of assets. That's more than 700,000 taels for a dime, right?"
"I'm really pissed off. If he hadn't looked so old, he would have punched him in the face twenty years ago."
Zhang Jing also had a hot temper and said angrily.
"Zhang Shangshu calms down. In fact, it is a good thing for the Ministry of Justice that I stay in the Ministry of Hubu. Think about it, I am now the Minister of the Ministry of Hubu. As long as you support me, listen to me and wait until I become the Minister of the Ministry of Hubu."
"The Ministry of Punishment wants some silver, can I still refuse to pay it? Zhang Shangshu is getting older, so he must have done something better before returning to his hometown in glory. You must also understand."
Xu Qingxiao smiled and eased the relationship between the two.
As soon as he said these words, Zhang Jing's eyes suddenly lit up.
"yes!"
"I didn't think of this. Yes, yes, Qingxiao, what you said is so right."
"As long as you become the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, we will join forces with the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Punishment Department to kill women and businessmen everywhere. You will be responsible for investigating, and I, the Punishment Department, will be responsible for arresting people. After the house is raided, you will allocate funds to our Punishment Department, and then the Punishment Department will be relaxed
That’s a lot.”
Zhang Jing was still thinking about how to make money by killing women and doing business. Hearing what Xu Qingxiao said, his whole body became energetic.
"Uh, almost."
Xu Qingxiao didn't expect the other party to think so much.
"Okay, Shouren, I support you in this matter. You do it well. As long as you do two more things like this, the Minister of the Ministry of Works has a good relationship with me. I will recruit him to support you and let you rise to the position and become the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
.”
"Okay, I won't say anything more. You have the Ministry of Punishment in your heart. I am very pleased and left."
Zhang Jing was very happy, really happy. After all, when he heard that Xu Qingxiao was unwilling to come to the Ministry of Punishment, he thought that Xu Qingxiao had changed his mind. Unexpectedly, Xu Qingxiao was in the Ministry of Household Affairs and was worried about punishment.
Good, very good, very good.
"Zhang Shangshu, do you want to stay and have something to eat?"
Xu Qingxiao shouted, and the latter waved his hand and left directly.
Another minister was sent away.
Xu Qingxiao was a little bit dumbfounded.
Fortunately, no other ministers came.
Xu Qingxiao could drink tea peacefully.
"Junior Brother Qingxiao, what do you think of His Majesty's Northern Expedition?"
Seeing that there were no outsiders, Chen Xinghe couldn't help but ask about this matter.
"I don't have any opinion. If you really want to fight, just fight. Junior brother can't make the decision. The two ministers were just polite. Senior brother, you don't really think His Majesty will listen to me, do you?"
Xu Qingxiao spoke, he actually knew better than anyone else what the empress was doing.
It's definitely not the Northern Expedition.
This is obviously to protect oneself, otherwise is there really a Northern Expedition?
What are you going to use for the Northern Expedition? Seventy million taels of silver? Just save this amount of silver and hold on for almost a year. Can you kill all the barbarians in one year? Then you have to consider the internal strife of the vassal king and the plundering of foreign countries?
If Xu Qingxiao didn't understand the empress's character, she really wouldn't be able to guarantee it. After several contacts, Xu Qingxiao can definitely guarantee that she won't go on an expedition to the north! This is a tactic to deceive people.
After all, how many people have he affected by killing so many businessmen? I still have some idea.
As the old saying goes, killing someone's money is like killing your parents. How many people's money have you harmed?
It stands to reason that there are at least a mountain of memorials accusing him in the palace. It is impossible to pretend to be ignorant and not solve them, so he can only resort to this method to divert attention.
In this way, even if someone comes to trouble him again, it will only be a few people, and His Majesty can completely ignore them.
Of course, this is not a bad idea, at least it can contain many people with impure intentions.
And what I have to do is to be honest during this period and don't cause any trouble. If I provoke you again, unless I really go to the Northern Expedition, I won't be able to suppress him.
"Hey, the common people rise and fall. It's best not to go to the Northern Expedition. The Wei Dynasty has just been pacified, so let the people live a better life."
Chen Xinghe sighed and said this, but quickly shook his head, not wanting to mention this, but to mention another matter.
"By the way, the Taiping Poetry Festival will be held in the middle of next month. Junior brother, have you prepared any poems?"
"The Taiping Poetry Society?"
Xu Qingxiao frowned slightly, but soon remembered that Mu Nanping seemed to have invited her, but she didn't expect that the time would come next month.
"Not prepared."
Xu Qingxiao simply shook his head, how could he have time to prepare for this during this period.
"oh."
Chen Xinghe slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
Just when Chen Xinghe wanted to continue asking about something.
Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded.
"Brother Xu!"
"Brother Chen!"
"I finally found you."
A slightly excited voice sounded, attracting Xu Qingxiao and Chen Xinghe to look over.
It's Wang Ru.
"Brother Wang Ru?"
Xu Qingxiao and Chen Xinghe were both a little curious, but they didn't expect him to come.
"Brother Xu, Brother Chen, long time no see, long time no see."
Wang Ru walked quickly and bowed to Xu Qingxiao and Chen Xinghe, his face full of joy and excitement.
"Brother Wang Ru, long time no see."
Xu Qingxiao spoke.
"Brother Wang Ru, why are you here?"
Chen Xinghe was a little curious.
"Brother Xu, Brother Chen, I should have been here a long time ago, but my family arranged a blind date a few days ago, which delayed the time."
Wang Ru said with a slight smile.
"Blind date? That's good. Was it successful?"
Xu Qingxiao smiled.
"It wasn't possible at first, then it was possible, and in the end it almost succeeded."
Wang Ru sighed with emotion.
"what for?"
Chen Xinghe also became interested.
"Originally she looked down on me, but I told her that I knew Brother Xu, and she agreed to get to know each other. But then she asked me how my literary talent was, and I said bravely that it was okay. There are only ten brothers in Xu, so she asked me
It was a poem, how could I compose it on the spot, so I used Brother Xu’s poems, and then she ignored me.”
Wang Ru said helplessly.
"You used Junior Brother Qingxiao's poems?"
"That's definitely not possible. Who doesn't know Qingxiao poetry? You are really stupid. You should use mine. Didn't I write some for you to appreciate? It's just good enough to take out. I won't blame you.
.”
Chen Xinghe sighed with emotion.
However, Wang Ru immediately explained.
"That's what I thought at the time. I didn't dare to compare with Brother Xu. What I took was yours, Brother Chen. But the girl took one look at it and said, "Don't compare me with Brother Xu in the future. Don't insult Xu."
Brother."
"Brother Chen, you don't blame me, do you?"
Wang Ru said this.
Chen Xinghe: "."
Xu Qingxiao: "."
Your uncle's!
Chen Xinghe was a little cold and shivering.
At this moment, Li Guangxiao's voice sounded.
"Adults, it's time to eat."
As Li Guangxiao's voice sounded, Xu Qingxiao immediately smoothed things over.
"Stop talking, come on, come on. If you haven't eaten yet, let's eat together. I'm a very good cook."
Xu Qingxiao pulled the two of them inside.
What comes into view is a table full of delicacies.
Wang Ru swallowed. He was indeed a little hungry, but he did not forget about business. Instead, he took out a letter and said.
"Brother Xu, this is the letter Li Xin asked me to give you. He said it is very important and you must read it."
Wang Ru said this.
"Okay, you eat first, don't be in a hurry."
Xu Qingxiao took the letter and sat down to read it.
Just for a while.
Xu Qingxiao's face showed a look of joy.
Everyone looked at the joy on Xu Qingxiao's face and couldn't help but become curious.
"What did Li Xin say?"
Chen Xinghe became a little curious.
"Huh! The harvest in Nanyu Prefecture this season has been increased by 40%."
Xu Qingxiao smiled and told the purpose of Li Xin's letter.
When he said this, everyone was a little surprised.
Especially Li Guangxiao, who took the bowls and chopsticks and couldn't help but look surprised when he heard this.
"Forty percent more? Why so much?"
Although Chen Xinghe doesn't understand farming, he also knows what 40% more means.
"Senior brother, do you still remember when we returned to the county, junior brother gave Li Xin something?"
Xu Qingxiao said this.
"Remember, some drawings are related to this?"
Chen Xinghe continued to ask.
"Well, that's what junior brother came up with in his spare time. Didn't His Majesty punish the people of Nanyu Mansion by paying an extra 10% in tax? Junior brother feels a little guilty, but he can't afford any money to compensate."
"So I came up with something for the people, which can solve the problem of fertile farmland water sources and make vacant or poorly irrigated fields play a role."
"The results are now good. The harvest in Nanyu Prefecture has increased by 40%. Although it has not reached the effect I expected, it is almost the same. At least I have repaid the kindness."
Xu Qingxiao explained.
As soon as he said this, Wang Ru, Chen Xinghe, Yang Hu and others were all speechless.
"What is it? It has such miraculous effects?"
"Also, junior brother, this 40% is not enough? You have to know that for the people, an additional 10% of crops is a happy event."
Chen Xinghe was a little unable to understand.
"Waterwheel!"
"What did you say, Yang Hu, get the pen and ink."
After the effect came out, Xu Qingxiao no longer planned to cover it up. After all, this matter would definitely be reported to the palace. It was just to say that the empress wouldn't be able to find out at once. If she didn't say it, she would probably find out about it half a year later.
At the moment, Yang Hu quickly fetched pen, ink, paper and inkstone.
Xu Qingxiao held a brush in hand and drew the image of a waterwheel on white paper. In order to be more concrete, he also specially drew water sources and fertile fields.
"Brother, this is the waterwheel!"
Xu Qingxiao said.
"Let me see."
Chen Xinghe looked at it seriously, and after a while, he couldn't help but frown.
"I feel like I understand, but I feel like I don't understand. What does this mean?"
Not to mention Chen Xinghe, Wang Ru, Yang Hu and others can't understand it.
Only Li Guangxiao understood the function of this thing after just a few glances.
Li Guangxiao's heart beat quickly, and he soon realized what this thing did.
Extract water sources to irrigate fertile fields.
A simple thing, but it can solve the biggest trouble in farming!
This. This! This is an artifact!
Li Guangxiao's body was trembling slightly, but no one noticed it.
"Brother, what are the crops most afraid of? Isn't it water?"
"This waterwheel continuously draws water from the river and then extends it through the water receiver. If the fertile farmland is not too far away from the water source, it can be irrigated directly. If the distance is too far, it can also save a lot of time and allow the people to walk a few steps.
.”
"Once this thing is mass-produced and promoted, all fertile fields in Dawei will have no shortage of water sources from now on, and the problems of water intake and water shortage will be greatly reduced."
"And many places have a lot of fertile farmland that is abandoned. If we have this, it can be cultivated again."
Xu Qingxiao explained the function of this thing.
For a moment, everyone understood, but they didn't understand the benefits of this thing, so they were not too shocked.
"If it is fully promoted, how much can Dawei increase its output?"
A voice suddenly sounded, and it was Li Guangxiao's.
For a moment, Xu Qingxiao couldn't help but look at Li Guangxiao, and the latter couldn't help laughing after feeling Xu Qingxiao's gaze.
"Sir, my parents are farmers. When I was a child, there were several famines. It was because of water problems that several villages often started fighting over a small water source. That's why I asked out of curiosity. I hope you won't blame me."
Li Guangxiao laughed and said, he knew he had made a mistake.
"It's okay, I understand."
Xu Qingxiao still has a good impression of Li Guangxiao. He is an honest person and his cooking is delicious.
"Normally speaking, the increase should be about 50%. If abandoned fields are used, the increase should be at least doubled, or even doubled and then added 30%. My ideal is double, but it is difficult, after all, some places have no water source at all.
"
"Moreover, some water sources are hundreds of miles apart. To build such a waterwheel, whether the Ministry of Revenue is willing to allocate funds is a question. Your Majesty will not agree until there are no substantial results."
Xu Qingxiao said this.
However, Chen Xinghe spoke.
"Twice? If we can triple Wei's grain production, why won't Your Majesty agree?"
Chen Xinghe felt it was a bit outrageous. Thirty to forty percent didn't sound like much, but twice it sounded like an exaggeration.
"It is too expensive to make this kind of waterwheel, and it must be implemented in every village, county, prefecture, and county. The amount of money spent is an astronomical amount of money, at least one hundred thousand taels, which is not even enough.
"
"Do you think His Majesty will agree? The Ministry of Finance will not agree either."
"So we can only pilot it first, let Nanyu Mansion start it up, and try to double it next season, so at least His Majesty will pay attention to it."
"Alas! But at that time, just building this tool and implementing it will take at least a year or two. Now that the Wei Dynasty is in trouble internally and externally, who knows what will happen in a year or two."
"If we do this wholeheartedly now, it will only take one year for the people of the Wei Dynasty to see the results. By then, it will be a huge surprise. The annual output will be doubled. The success will be in the present and the future will be benefited."
Xu Qingxiao said this.
And his tone was very firm.
Everyone nodded, but thought that they would not be able to finish the work even if it was one hundred thousand taels, so they did not say anything.
But Li Guangxiao was completely shocked.
One hundred thousand taels is indeed an exaggeration.
But the question is, what is the concept of doubling annual output? Now some people in Wei Dynasty are still at the stage of not having enough to eat.
If the annual output is doubled, at least the people of the Wei Dynasty will be able to have enough to eat. This alone cannot be solved by a hundred thousand taels.
And it is indeed beneficial to the future.
Even if he spends 200,000 taels of silver, it won't take five years for Wei to make back his capital with interest.
"How long will this waterwheel last?"
Li Guangxiao couldn't help but ask again.
"If it is made of high-quality materials, such as some good wood and iron stone, it will last at least fifty years without other factors. If it is carefully maintained and repaired, it will not be too much to use it for a hundred years."
Xu Qingxiao gave the answer.
This answer made Li Guangxiao feel a little dizzy.
Fifty years?
a hundred years?
In five years, we will be able to return our capital with profits, and the people will have enough to eat, and the people's hearts will be united, and we will usher in real prosperity.
Swallowed.
Li Guangxiao fell silent.
"Okay, let's eat, don't think so much."
Xu Qingxiao put the white paper aside and invited everyone to eat.
Chen Xinghe and others didn't say much and just started eating.
Li Guangxiao also ate, but he ate absentmindedly.
After everyone had eaten and drank, Li Guangxiao put away the dishes. He felt very uncomfortable now. He wanted to go to the palace to report the matter quickly, but he was afraid that leaving directly would arouse suspicion.
So I sat in Shouren School, waiting painfully for the time to buy groceries.
For an hour, for a full hour, Li Guangxiao also thought about it for an hour. He looked at the picture of the waterwheel. The more he thought about it, the more he thought it was possible. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this thing was an artifact of the country!
Others didn't understand, but he understood. Finally, when it was time to buy groceries, Li Guangxiao left Shouren School.
Run towards the palace.
Two quarters of an hour later.
Outside the Yangxin Hall of the Great Wei Palace, Li Guangxiao's voice rang out before Li Guangxiao arrived.
"His Majesty!"
"His Majesty!"
"May!"
"May!"
"Xu Qingxiao, an eternal talent!"
"The prosperous age of the Wei Dynasty is coming."
"Your Majesty, you have found a treasure this time!!!!!!"
"Great Wei's treasure!!!!"
Li Guangxiao's excited and trembling voice sounded. He was so excited that he was trembling so much when he spoke.
In the Yangxin Hall, the empress was a little surprised when she heard this voice again.
Because she has never met her master.
in this way.
Gaffe!
Even if the Northern Expedition fails, nothing will happen!