When Qiu Yizi heard this, he suddenly remembered that there was Bohai, a vassal state of the Han Dynasty, as a buffer between the Turks and the Han Dynasty. Since, as Shi Wei said, the Turkish forces had reached the border of the Han Dynasty, the situation of Bohai must be very difficult.
In fact, Qiu Yizi did not care much about the survival of Bohai Kingdom. However, Princess Yiran of Bohai, who grew up with him, was also recuperating in Bohai Kingdom today. Her safety was what Qiu Yizi was worried about.
However, he did not want to ask in public, so he asked, "Isn't there still the former general Dai Luanxiang and the Dai Marshal? Wouldn't it be better to ask the Dai Marshal to go north to resist the enemy and leave my second brother to stay by the emperor's side to protect him?"
Shi Wei replied: "Marshal Dai is a famous general in China, and he is of the same generation as the emperor. How can he be sent to the north to cultivate the land? Besides, the Ministry of War also has many things to deal with, and it also needs Marshal Dai to command, right?"
This is another extremely important piece of information.
Qiu Yizi had already tasted the meaning from these few words - Dai Luanxiang was probably already lost the trust of Emperor Zheng Rong, so he had to do some menial jobs in the Ministry of War and had no chance to command the army alone.
Qiu Yizhi felt sad when he thought that Dai Luanxiang, a famous general in China, was not being promoted. Then he heard Shi Wei continue, "Don't worry, Your Highness Yi. The emperor still has the Third Prince by his side to help with state affairs. Even now, the Third Prince is in charge of four of the six ministries. He is so busy that you can hardly see him every day!"
This is still a very important message.
The emperor has now sent the eldest and second princes far away to the frontiers to work, leaving only the third son by his side. He also lets him be fully responsible for the affairs of the central government. It is obvious that he is preparing to pass the throne to the third prince Zheng Miao!
Qiu Yizi recalled that Emperor Zheng Rong had expressed to him more than once his intention to make his third son Zheng Miao the heir apparent or crown prince. Comparing the two, it seemed that this matter had almost been confirmed.
In fact, Zheng Rong's three sons each have their own strengths and advantages. If they were assisted by famous ministers like Zhongli Kuang, they would all be good emperors. However, among the three, the third son Zheng Miao is the most virtuous and talented, and his mind is far better than his two elder brothers. He is indeed the best choice to inherit the throne.
For Qiu Yizi, among his three brothers, Zheng Miao was the most suitable one because he was of similar age and they got along well with each other. So he was naturally the happiest when Zheng Miao became emperor.
Thinking of this, Qiu Yizhi's mood suddenly improved, but he also thought that the emperor was less than fifty years old this year, at the prime of his youth, but he was already thinking about his affairs after his death. Perhaps he had lost confidence in his health...
After all, Emperor Zheng Rong and Qiu Yizi have been father and son for ten years. When Qiu Yizi thought of this, he felt sad again and was speechless for a long time.
Lin Shuhan's hall fell silent again. The almost frozen air made everyone feel heavy and depressed.
However, among all the people present, the most senior Jiedushi Liu Qing was the most shrewd. He was the first to lose his temper and cleared his throat and said, "His Highness Yi just said that he would ask me to treat General Shi to a meal. In this case, I cannot neglect you two. If we are to talk about the best place in Jinling City, Yuanwailou is still the best. But it is getting late now. If we go too late, I am afraid there will be no private rooms. How about we set off now?"
Qiu Yizi was just about to interrupt the tense atmosphere, so he said with a hint of mockery: "You are the governor of Jiangnan Road, with an army of 100,000 men under your command. How come you can't even take down a small restaurant?"
Liu Qing scratched his hair and said, "You are kidding me, sir. Other people's guests are here to pay for meals. They are already seated. Why are you chasing them away? Isn't this ruining the reputation of the government? We don't have this rule in the Youyan Dao army."
Qiu Yizi sneered: "Humph! I'm afraid you have also accepted money from the restaurant owner, so you are embarrassed to take advantage of him, right?"
"No, no, no!" Liu Qing denied it flatly, "His family has never had the habit of giving money to officials. They are very well-mannered and their dishes are delicious. Many dignitaries and their families eat in their restaurant. The boss also has a wide network of contacts. If you really offend him, the people who come to complain might trample down your doorstep first!"
"Okay!" Qiu Yizi was aroused by Liu Qing's words. "Okay, let's go now. I want to see what's so good about this 'Yuanwailou'!"
As he spoke, he bowed to Lin Shuhan and Zhao Chengxiao and said, "Today General Liu is inviting us to dinner, so I can't refuse. Let me go first. If this restaurant is really as good as its reputation, I will host you guys for a good meal another day."
Having said that, Qiu Yizi stood up and was about to walk out the door.
But Shi Wei said, "Your Highness Yi, you haven't read the secret decree that the Emperor asked me to deliver yet! Have you forgotten it?"
Qiu Yizhi was stunned: of course he had not forgotten the secret decree, but he did not want to open it now, but wanted to read it with Lin Shuhan. However, the emperor's secret decree was, after all, for one person to read alone. If someone else read it closely, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor.
So Qiu Yizhi listened to Shi Wei's reminder, forced a smile, and said: "General Shi reminded me correctly. I was in high spirits, how could I forget this matter! Please wait for a moment, I will go back to my room to pay my respects, and then come out to the Garden Tower together, how about that?"
Having said that, Qiu Yizi secretly winked at Lin Shuhan, then turned and left the hall, walking quickly towards his room.
Lin Shuhan was a smart man. He guessed what Qiu Yizi meant from just one look. He found a reason and left, going straight to Qiu Yizi's house in the manor.
After walking through the hall and the room for a long time, Lin Shuhan casually pushed open Qiu Yizi's door and saw him reading a piece of yellow paper - this piece of yellow paper was the private letter from Emperor Zheng Rong to him.
When Qiu Yizi saw Lin Shuhan coming in, he looked up and said, "Mr. Lin is here. You should also take a look at the emperor's letter. You can also help me think about it." As he said that, he handed the letter to Lin Shuhan.
Lin Shuhan put away the folding fan that he carried with him all year round, took the letter with both hands, and began to read it. There were hundreds of words densely written on the letter, and there were many places between the lines that had not been copied out. It must have been written casually by the emperor and sent it over. It was unclear whether he had reviewed it carefully.
Lin Shuhan was an expert in calligraphy and had seen the emperor's handwriting before. He saw that although the emperor's handwriting was sharp, the structure was a bit loose, and it was obvious that the pen was not strong enough to write it. It was inferior to the other handwritings of the emperor that he had seen before.
"Perhaps the emperor's poor health is not groundless?" Lin Shuhan speculated secretly, but did not dare to say it out loud. He only sighed and said, "Alas! It seems that the emperor is indeed in poor health. Every stroke of the pen is full of fatigue. When you reply to the letter, you must ask about the emperor's health."
Qiu Yizi nodded, but did not comment.
Lin Shuhan had no choice but to read it word by word from the beginning. However, he found that this letter was not written in classical Chinese, but in ordinary vernacular language. It first praised Qiu Yizhi's newly recruited militia for their victory in the first battle: "Yizhi won the battle under Jinling City in a defeat, which is very rare. I am also pleased. Liu Qing has reported the specific battle situation truthfully. According to me and Prime Minister Zhongli, Liu Qing's report may have some mistakes, but he dare not take credit for it, so it can still be trusted. I also heard Cui Nan report that Yizhi wanted to transfer 100 large shields and powerful crossbows to strengthen the militia. I have approved it. The training of soldiers should either be not done or done well. I came from a military background, and I understand this. But the number of militiamen must be within 200. If it is expanded, it will inevitably cause criticism and attract a lot of gossip. Although I can defend it, I will be overwhelmed. How can I waste my energy on these crows and toads?"
Lin Shuhan read a passage and was savoring it when he saw Qiu Yizi standing up and standing behind him. Her eyes were also fixed on the emperor's letter, and she was reading it with him.
So Lin Shuhan forced a smile and said, "Looking at your affairs in charge of the army, there are thousands of eyes watching you. Maybe countless memorials have been submitted to the emperor. Judging from the emperor's tone, if the emperor hadn't covered up for you, you might have been drowned by the memorials!"
Qiu Yizi nodded, but said, "Please continue reading, sir."
When Lin Shuhan heard Qiu Yizhi didn't answer, he licked his lips and continued reading: "I also heard that Yizhi, because of the complicated military laws and unwilling to impose the burden on the people, came up with the idea of intermediating Zhou Cijing and Li Zhi to do business and take a cut from them. This method is very good, it does not increase the burden on the people, and it is not a way to take and damage integrity. These businessmen are very rich, so it is good to exploit them a little."
When Lin Shuhan read this, he felt a chill in his heart and said to Qiu Yizhi, "I didn't expect the emperor to be so sensitive. Among the civil and military officials in Jiangnan, and even big businessmen like Zhou Cijing, there are ears and eyes for the emperor to take care of you. From now on, if you have something to report directly to the emperor, you must carefully consider your words. If you can't take care of it, it will inevitably be inconvenient."
Lin Shuhan deliberately used the word "take care of" to cover up the original intention of "surveillance". Qiu Yizi was such a smart person that he had already figured it out. He nodded vigorously but did not say anything, and continued to read to the end of the letter.
Lin Shuhan also quickly moved his gaze back and continued to look down: "Recently, the Turks in the north have been moving south. I have sent Zheng Sen to defend, but this is not a long-term solution. During my lifetime, I hope to be able to use the power of the whole country to attack the Turks in the north. Even if I cannot destroy their country and race, I must at least be able to sweep away their homes and holes, and strive to make them unable to move south for 150 years. But now the court has many places to spend money, and there are foreigners in the south. If we want to raise troops to attack again, there will not be enough money, food and manpower!"
The last "丨" of the last word "啊" was written in thick and heavy ink, as if it was a mixture of helplessness, disappointment, and resentment, like a dagger stabbing into Lin Shuhan's eyes, making him unable to bear to look directly at it.
Lin Shuhan continued reading: "I have long ago sent away the Taoist priests and sorcerers that my brother had kept in the palace. I have also dismissed most of the palace servants and eunuchs, and have allocated cultivated land for the army to cultivate and produce. Other daily expenses of the palace have also been reduced by two-thirds. The empress is also very considerate of me. She led the imperial concubines and eunuchs to reclaim the wasteland in the palace to grow crops and vegetables. The food I eat is much more delicious than the tribute from Sichuan and Shandong! However, I am so frugal with my salary that I can only save a few million taels of silver a year. What use is it?"
"Alas!" Lin Shuhan sighed deeply, "I didn't expect His Majesty to be so frugal. I wonder how officials at all levels in the court and government would dare to waste money after seeing this!"
Before Lin Shuhan finished speaking, he heard a sob behind him. He glanced over and saw Qiu Yizhi wiping her tears. (To be continued)