Chapter 196 Scene 26: Things are different and people are different
In the second year of Zhaoxi, April 27th.
After the war, Ye State's vitality was severely damaged. Not only could it no longer collect land taxes, it had to allocate most of its small national treasury to appease the victims in various places, so that they could return to their homes and buy young crops.
, rush to plant a new crop before summer officially begins.
In addition, a large number of merchants have fled to other countries, making it difficult to revive business in various places in the short term. Even the merchant tax, which accounts for more than half of the tax revenue over the years, can only collect 30%.
Therefore, even though the next day was the day of the enthronement ceremony, Qi Ziyin did not think about it at all. Since early morning, he had not left the Zichen Palace, and during this period he only had some simple snacks to satisfy his hunger. At the moment, he had just sent
Although Xu Shang, the imperial minister, and Lu Jihai, the salt and iron supervisor, left, they were still unable to come to a conclusion on how to reduce the people's taxes while filling the national treasury.
The young ruler knew that in today's Ye State, the major families were intertwined. Although they bowed to him on the surface, privately no one was willing to contribute more to restore the country's prestige and strength. Previously, he and Xu Shang
, the argument between Lu Jihai and Lu Jihai made the boy in white even more troubled.
He half stood up with the small case in front of him and rubbed his sore and numb legs. When he was in the palace before, he had read all the works of the sages on the governance of the country, but he had never really seen it.
Having experienced the intrigues and intrigues in the officialdom, it was only then that I realized that nothing could be accomplished with a lot of knowledge and enthusiasm.
The moon was at the top of the sky and the stars were dim. Qi Ziyin dragged his exhausted body back to Guihongyuan and fell on the couch without doing any washing. In the hazy moment, he suddenly felt someone calling his name outside the door, so he got up and walked around.
I followed the voice and looked for it.
Under the moonlight, a tall but somewhat stooped figure stood in the corridor outside the door. The young man in white felt that the figure looked familiar, and suddenly his shoulders trembled and he froze there.
"Zi Yin, are you in trouble today?"
The person opposite said that and turned around, but it was Qi Heyin who had died long ago.
"Father!" Qi Ziyin immediately raised his hands above his head and bowed deeply to the other party. Although his tone of voice did not show any difference, the tears in his eyes fell at his feet, "Father,
Ziyin is incompetent and has let you down!"
"Yin'er, now that the important responsibility of Ye State is in your hands, as a father, I can only feel happy, why can I say that I am disappointed?"
Qi and Yin looked at their youngest son as always, stretched out their big hands and stroked the top of his head.
"But now Ziyin only has the name of the country's lord, but no power of the country's lord. Facing all the officials in the court, he only encounters obstacles at every turn, and everything goes wrong."
The young man in white clothes had no one to express his sorrow. Now that he saw his father, he immediately opened his mouth to ask for help.
Qi Heyin looked at his youngest son lovingly, and said sincerely: "Yin'er, from Duke Huan of Dehuan down, our Qi family has endured for hundreds of generations. It is all because of the rule of law and inclusiveness that we are where we are today. The so-called way of governing a country is
Like a boat in the water, you must follow the trend and don't do it too hastily."
"But now that the country is about to fall, people's hearts are scattered. It's not that Zi Yin acted too hastily, it's actually a helpless move forced by the general situation!"
Qi Ziyin shook his head. He was about to say that his father was not aware of the critical situation, but suddenly he heard someone behind him say:
"Today is no better than in the past. The emperor in Yujing has declined, the countries are even more turbulent, and the world is in chaos. It is no longer possible for our country, Ye, to be alone. Brother Wang, your tricks are no longer applicable!"
The young king was startled, and immediately turned around, only to see the man standing behind him covered in blood, his clothes all wet, and countless drops of water dripping at his feet, forming a puddle. He was actually a murderer.
Qi Shouyu usurped the throne!
"Brother Wang, the State of Ye has never wanted to seek hegemony. It is all about protecting the people of one side. How can you say it is no longer applicable?!"
Before Qi Ziyin could speak, his father beside him had already started arguing with Uncle Wang. However, in the face of the rebuttal, the short and fat figure chuckled and sneered loudly:
"To protect the people of this country? You should tell Yin Qujian of Chengguo and Luqiu Borong of Weiliang to listen to this! Foreign enemies cannot be defeated by just being kind to others!"
"Uncle Wang, shut up! It's all because of you that foreign enemies took advantage of the turmoil in Zuo, the country of Ye, to invade! Otherwise, with the elite soldiers of the country of Ye, how could we have been defeated so miserably?!"
The boy in white clothes couldn't listen anymore and couldn't help but interrupt. Unexpectedly, Qi Shouyu waved his long sleeve and said viciously:
"The defeat is because our country, Ye, has the wealth of Wanzhou and the best navy in the world, but the monarchs, ministers and officials have already lost their spirit and fighting spirit, not because of me! If all the monarchs in the past dynasties could prepare for the rainy day and prepare their troops vigorously,
Using strong methods to regulate the country, now maybe the entire four southern states, no, maybe even the throne in Yujing, have become the possessions of my Qi family!"
"The princes have raised their troops to invade, don't you think the people of Ye State have not died enough?"
Qi Ziyin scolded angrily, but who knew that the voice that came out of his throat was not his own. He suddenly felt a little frightened, turned his head and looked around, and saw a man in green clothes standing in the evening breeze, with the skirt of his robe swaying, looking heroic.
"General Baili!"
The young man choked up and stepped forward and called. However, Xiang Baili did not look back. He just stood there, looking up at the pair of bright moons in the sky, and said seriously:
"Everything in the world is just like the twin moons in the sky. Some are clear and some are turbid, some are bright and some are dark. No matter who you are, they can only tell you what they see and think, but that is not your original intention. Everything is convenient.
There will be disadvantages, and there must be choices. Only if you know what you really want in your heart can you distinguish the advantages and disadvantages, and understand when to take and when to give up. Only by
Only when you have figured these out yourself can you truly find your own path!"
"Student - remember!"
The young king suddenly felt that he was awakened by the other party's words, and immediately bowed his head to the end. When he raised his head and wanted to continue asking questions, he found that his father, uncle, and General Baili had all disappeared, leaving only the same person.
The hazy moonlight shining on the paper, and the pillow cover already soaked with tears.
"Yes - my father and General Baili came together to entrust me with a dream?"
Qi Ziyin got up from the couch and pushed out the door. Looking at Qi and Yin just now, Qi Shouyu stared blankly at the place where Baili had been arguing. It seemed that it was still hard to believe that the scene just now was just a dream.
But even if it was a dream, Xiang Baili's words still touched him deeply - now, he wants too much, but he is increasingly unable to distinguish the pros and cons, let alone decide what he should do. However,
Now he must make a choice!
There seemed to be an indescribable thing in the palace, which made the young man feel that he couldn't breathe and couldn't think. After thinking about it, he actually rode out of the palace alone in the moonlight. Regardless of the servants following him No matter how to stop him, the riding crop in his hand was swung even harder.
It's just because he has to sort out the messy matters in his heart one by one as soon as possible. Only in this way can he understand who and what things he should try to catch, and then he can find a way to solve the urgent need at hand.
I don't know whether it was intentional or not, but before he knew it, Qi Ziyin rode his horse to the Huaqin Pond outside the palace.
On both sides of the lake to the west of the palace, weeping willows linger. Fields of lotus leaves grow vigorously in the center of the lake, glowing brightly under the moonlight. Although it has not yet reached the peak of summer when lotuses bloom and frogs chirp ten miles away, at this time The Huaqin Pond is a good place to express your feelings and meditate.
The young man in white saw a string of colorful lanterns tied up on a weeping willow in front of him, and just then he remembered that in a few days it would be Wuyang Festival again. Seven years passed in the blink of an eye, and he suddenly remembered many years. On the sunny spring day before, when I and Ning Yue first met Jiang Yan, we tasted delicacies and had fun in the city, and watched the hibiscus and fireworks by the lake. I suddenly felt that my mind was empty. It was as if everything suddenly came to fruition.
As the leader of the country, he now has the responsibility to protect the peace of the country, stabilize the people's hearts, and recuperate for the sake of thousands of people. But as a member of all living beings in the world, he has the obligation to help those in deep danger for his own sake. He went to find his best friend whose life and death were unknown. And he had more ways to handle both matters properly.
The more Qi Ziyin thought about it, the clearer his thoughts became. He couldn't help but squeeze his legs and wanted to rush back to the palace immediately to make preparations. But just when he thought there was no one around, he saw a person crossing in front of the horse's head. In the past, the horse was so frightened that the horse stood upright and almost overturned the young man.
"It didn't hurt you, did it?"
After calming the frightened horse for a while, the young king hurriedly turned around and asked. Unexpectedly, the other party was calm and calm. He didn't seem to be frightened at all. Instead, he stood up and asked:
"That person right away is Qi Ziyin, the leader of Ye Kingdom?"
Qi Ziyin did not expect that ordinary people would recognize him wearing a mask before the enthronement ceremony was held. He hurriedly raised his hands and responded politely: "I am the one you are. I wonder who you are?"
However, the person opposite did not return the gift, nor did he have any intention of getting out of the way. Instead, he drew a long knife with a cold light from his back and attacked directly:
"That's fine. My three brothers are collecting money from others and are here today to take your head!"
"It's an assassin!"
The young king's heart trembled, and he immediately turned his horse's head to avoid it. Unexpectedly, two figures appeared behind him, blocking his retreat!
Hearing a mournful cry from the horse under his crotch, the horse's legs were cut off by the three men on the spot. Qi Ziyin felt his body sink and rolled on the ground, only to avoid the sharp blade that was slashing at the back of his neck.
When he left the palace this time, he never thought that he would encounter such a change, but he didn't even have a self-defense weapon around him. In desperation, the young man could only pick up a severed horse leg from the ground, and put it across the His chest barely blocked two more attacks, but his body was already covered in blood, and his legs were no longer comfortable to use.
Now Qi Ziyin was standing on the bank of the water, with no way to retreat. A gust of night wind blew, making him covered in cold sweat and getting even more chilly. Huaqin Pond also rippled with the wind and made a roaring sound.
As if he was worried about the young man's situation.
The young king's face did not show any timidity, but instead asked sternly:
"You dare to assassinate the king in front of the palace. Are you impatient? The long sword in your hands is made by the military of Ye State. Who ordered it? Why don't you call it soon!"
"What a loud tone! Before tomorrow, you are not the leader of the Ye Kingdom! What's more, you are facing three of us with your bare hands, so what qualifications do you have to ask?"
Another assassin on the opposite side attacked with a sword. Qi Ziyin did not dodge, but instead faced him with his chest raised!
There was just a soft "pop" sound, and the tip of the knife easily pierced the young man's clothes, and a bright red color suddenly spread on his chest. Unexpectedly, he didn't take it seriously, and actually used his hands to attack
Wrapping the opponent's wrist holding the knife, he snatched the knife away with a twist and a twist, and before the assassin could recover, he stabbed the opponent in the back with his backhand!
This move was exactly the air-palm discharge in the Five Imperial Swords. The body fell heavily into the Huaqin Pond, splashing countless water. The remaining two people saw that the other party was very skilled, and now that they had weapons, they did not dare to do it easily.
When they attacked again, they had no choice but to draw up their posture and confront the young king on the shore.
"What's weird about you? You can actually be stabbed alive!"
An assassin saw the clues and couldn't help but show fear. Qi Ziyin pressed his hand on the meteorite ring armor covered under his outer robe - just now the tip of the knife only pierced the epidermis from the gap in the ring armor.
It can hurt the inside. He couldn't help but be secretly grateful in his heart. The protective soft armor given by his father once again blocked him:
"Give you two another chance, do you want to protect the mastermind behind the scenes, or do you want to survive yourself?"
"The people in Quicksand Camp are greedy for life and afraid of death!"
Unexpectedly, the two people facing each other rose up again. Even though they knew they were no match, they still slashed at the young man's waist with their swords. They had already made up their mind to die together.
"Quicksand Camp?! Now that Uncle Wang is dead, who can you still follow orders?"
The words "Liushayingying" immediately made the young king's heart tremble. He had never thought that the intricate forces in Ye Kingdom would have such means to reassemble the assassin camp that Qi Shouyu had formed during his lifetime, intending to completely eradicate him from the world.
.
And this also made Qi Ziyin more and more convinced that he could almost count the people around him who could be completely trusted. The more he compromised with the dignitaries in the court, the more he gave them reasons to be unscrupulous. Helpless
Then, the young man raised the weapon in his hand, and the blade swam along the long knife in the hand of an assassin like a snake, cutting off his thumb and index finger, disarming him on the spot.
Until this moment, he still wanted to leave him alive and ask the culprit who was behind it, but he did not take his life immediately. Unexpectedly, the other party's cheeks bulged slightly, and he immediately bit off the base of his tongue and spurted out a large mouthful of blood.
Killed on the spot!
When the last assassin saw this, he immediately spun to run away. At that moment, he suddenly heard the sound of a sharp arrow piercing the sky in the night. The man was actually shot through the heart by an arrow and was directly nailed to a weeping willow on the shore.
superior!
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