"Justified? If justifiable can solve the problem, then why is the emperor still troubled by all kinds of unsatisfactory things as the emperor of the empire? Isn't the third brother granted the title of King of Jin? Unlike being suppressed in Huanggang Mansion and unable to move, then Jincheng Li Wufeng didn't have any troops stationed, and Third Brother's tens of thousands of troops only dared to plunder food. Why?" Glancing at her confused brother coldly, Situ Yushuang seemed to hate the fact that iron cannot become steel: "Without him, it's just a lack of strength. It can be seen that the title needs the backing of strength. Without strength, having a righteous name will not help."
After pondering for a while, Situ Yushuang said again: "Let Li Wufeng bear the title of King of Qin, just to let the world know that Li Wufeng is still a slave of the Situ family. Although he has been crowned king, it is also a gift from His Majesty the Emperor. With such a glorious and supreme gift, if he has other ambitions, it will allow the world's scholars to see his true face clearly and put him into an unjust situation."
Seeing Situ Lang looking at her with a look of disbelief, Situ Yushuang could only sigh and added with a hint of comfort: "Of course, as my little sister just said, fame and righteousness need the backing of strength. If Li Wufeng really reaches that point, I am not sure how much restrictions and constraints this title will have on him. But as long as it can give him an extra layer of restraint, it is better than nothing."
Silently chewing on the words of the beauty dressed in Lake Green Palace, Situ Lang fell into deep thought. When he named Li Wufeng the King of Qin, he considered that most of the empire was already in his hands. In order to fight against his eldest brother, who had always been the biggest threat to him, he had to recruit Li Wufeng as his support. But now that his eldest brother has annexed the East China Sea and sent troops to Jiangnan, Li Wufeng is not willing at all. With the intention of serving him, making him the King of Qin now would only encourage his arrogance. However, what the other party said does make sense. After Li Wufeng took up the post of Protector of the Western Border Protectorate, it no longer meant much whether he had the title of King of Qin. He would not be able to spit out the food that fell into his mouth. If he could borrow the title of King of Qin, This title is bound to him and can only be regarded as a comfort.
Situ Yutang, who was lying on the embroidered bed, couldn't sleep for a long time, not because he returned to his hometown, but because the dispute with his brother and Thirteenth Sister during the day was still lingering in his mind. It seemed that his brother and the others' views on the northwest had been finalized. It is impossible to change, and it is even more difficult to be a human being in the middle.
His thoughts unknowingly returned to the words Wu Feng had with him that night in Hanzhong. Is the empire really going to sunset? Is it true that the Situ family can no longer continue their rule? From Yueyang and Huanggang to Jiujiang and Zhongzhou, although what we saw and heard was just a glimpse, the shocking facts are indisputable, like the poison of abscess that penetrates deep into the bone marrow, it has infiltrated every part of the empire's internal organs. The corruption of the officials, the weakness of the army, the extravagance and corruption of the nobles, all symbolize that this once glorious empire is on its deathbed. It is stumbling forward completely relying on inertia. Maybe a bump can make it It collapsed to the ground and turned into ruins.
Reminiscent of the refugees he encountered swarming from Heshuo when he entered the city. They were blocked by the army from entering thirty miles away from the city. The refugees, who had no trace of their body, angrily confronted the imperial troops. Conflict, such a situation allows anyone to predict the extent to which the empire will decline. With what he saw and heard in the northwest and Guanxi, Situ Yutang felt more and more the extraordinaryness of his fiancé. The rapid economic development in the northwest, the nomadic barbarians in the eyes of the empire bowed before him, and the recovery of Guanxi Tiannan was uneventful. , all kinds of things that were impossible in the eyes of the empire were a piece of cake in his hands, and he could also predict the drought in the Eastern Continent this year like a prophet, and he was able to stockpile a large amount of food at the beginning of the year, and he also continuously received supplies from India. and Northern Luzon to purchase grain. Now I am afraid that he is the real big winner in the entire empire and even in the Eastern Continent. There is sufficient food in the territory, and there is even a large amount of surplus food to help the surrounding areas. Food has become a weight in his hand to defeat the army, and even the empire has I had to compromise and bow before his demands.
Gently putting on his clothes and getting up, Situ Yutang pushed the door open. The stars were shining brightly outside the door, and the fragrance of flowers in the garden was overwhelming. Looking up at the vast starry sky, Situ Yutang didn't know whether he should be proud of his fiancé's extraordinary achievements or should be proud of him. The decline of the Situ family is sad, and the rise of the northwest seems to symbolize the decline of the empire. The irreconcilability of the two seems to determine that the seventeenth princess of the empire will always live in the pain of this contradiction.
"Damn it! Who allowed them to publish this news?! What do the General Administration of Internal Affairs and the Press and Publication Administration do?!" The furious Situ Lang had long lost his former gloominess, and the Duan Inkstone on the desk was furiously His Majesty the Emperor knocked it down with one hand and fell to pieces. The Nine-Xuan Three-pole ink was splashed in the center of the palace like a black dragon with teeth and claws. It was particularly dazzling, symbolizing His Majesty the Emperor's mood at this time.
Today's newspaper is still lying there quietly on the imperial record. The headline under the masthead contains a line of eye-catching bold characters: "The Imperial Protectorate of Western Xinjiang has reached an agreement with the Imperial Strategic Reserve Bureau. The Protectorate of Western Xinjiang will be closed in January. The Inward Imperial Strategic Reserve Bureau provided three million quintals of wheat and two million quintals of rice at a price lower than half the market price!”
After this big headline, there are some smaller headings: "Grain prices in the imperial capital fell in response, and grain merchants rushed to ship goods." "The grain market is changing, and several major merchants joined forces to deal with it."
Situ Lang never expected that Li Wufeng would do this to him. Just one day after the announcement of conferring the title of King of Qin and agreeing to establish the Protectorate of Western Xinjiang was sent out, all the major newspapers in the imperial capital already knew that Li Wufeng would provide information to the central government of the empire. A large amount of cheap food ensured the food supply of the imperial capital. This not only ruined his plan to hoard some food, but also made the people of the imperial capital applaud Li Wufeng's "feat". The lower-class citizens even rushed to tell each other about the plummeting food prices. They cheered and cheered. Even the nobles who had never been too cold towards Li Wufeng expressed their appreciation for Li Wufeng's behavior for the first time. They believed that he took the overall situation into consideration and was actually a pillar of the empire. But just the day before, they had united to oppose Li Wufeng's title. King of Qin.
The only victim is yourself! Not only did he pay a large amount of gold coins in vain, but he also gave Li Wufeng free publicity for his good deeds. However, although the food was obtained, he could not make a profit and had to stay to prepare for future food shortages. This time, he lost both his wife and his army.
Seeing that His Majesty the Emperor's face was livid, the veins on his neck were bursting out, and the flames in his eyes seemed to melt all the ministers in the palace. All the ministers were silent. It was the most unwise behavior to talk to him at this moment. If he was not careful, he would be killed. It will set you on fire.
"Om? Why are you so mute? Seton, how does your internal affairs department carry out news censorship? Why is such a major event published in the newspaper without approval?" Seton, the Minister of Internal Affairs who took over Lu Wenfu not long ago, was not what Situ Lang had in mind. The best candidate, but in order to balance the sentiments of the conservative nobles in the imperial capital, and because Sidon could adapt to the situation very well, Situ Lang reluctantly accepted this candidate. Now that there is such a big flaw, how can he not let it go? Situ Lang was furious.
"Your Majesty, this is •;•;•;•;•;•;" Sidon said in distress. He never thought that such a seemingly good news would arouse His Majesty the Emperor's overwhelming anger. He couldn't understand the mystery. Not only him, but also other ministers in the palace couldn't figure out why His Majesty was so angry because of this matter. Even if the news media fabricated the news, it was not worthy of His Majesty's anger. ah.
Seeing the puzzled looks on the faces of all the ministers, Situ Lang also knew that he had lost his temper. Of course, these people could not understand his plight, but this was not humane. He could only glance at His Highness' group of people fiercely. Idiots who only know how to be submissive.
"Your Majesty, I think that it would be a great thing for His Highness the King of Qin to be able to provide food to the empire at a low price. It will not only alleviate the rising food prices in the imperial capital, but also greatly calm the people's hearts. Although I don't know this. Whether this news is true or not, I believe that these media are unlikely to publish it without definite information. In addition, according to reports, there seems to be the possibility of further providing cheap food from the Western Xinjiang Protectorate. If so, That is a great thing from every aspect. I wonder why Your Majesty is so angry?" The person who finally came out to speak was Qin Yuedong, the Minister of Agriculture. As a veteran of several dynasties, he was probably the only one who dared to speak here. time to question.
"Uh, Qin Aiqing, this..." Situ Lang didn't know how to explain the reason for his rage to the other party and His Highness's ministers. This damn Li Wufeng was playing tricks on him. However, he made it difficult for himself to say, "Qin Aiqing, this news is indeed true. Well, I'm just a little dissatisfied that these media actually disclosed this news worthy of celebration before me. I originally wanted to keep this news I am waiting for the announcement to be made together after the second phase agreement is reached between the Imperial Strategic Reserve Bureau and the Western Xinjiang Protectorate, but I didn’t expect it to disappoint me so much.”
"Oh? Your Majesty means that the Western Xinjiang Protectorate will also conduct the second phase of negotiations with the Imperial Strategic Reserve Bureau on the food issue?" Almost all the ministers' ears perked up. Originally, the first phase of five million shi of food was The purchase has already kept everyone in the dark, and now there is a second phase of negotiations. How can these ministers not be excited
"Yes, according to the letter submitted to me by my seventeenth sister, the King of Qin was deeply disturbed by the fact that the people in the imperial capital were suffering from food shortages, and planned to complete the first transaction with the Imperial Strategic Reserve Bureau. Three Within this month, five million tons of grain will be sold to the Imperial Strategic Reserve Bureau at the same price to ensure the food supply for the people of the imperial capital. King Qin’s consideration for the empire’s difficulties is truly admirable.” Situ Lang’s expression had completely recovered at this time Normal, with a bright smile on his face, but secretly feeling cruel in his heart, Li Wufeng, you bastard, you dare to trick me, then don’t blame me for being rude, don’t think that the position of King of Qin and the Protectorate of Western Xinjiang is so good Yes, a forged letter will force you to obediently send another five million loads of grain!