local government.
The two rows of Taishi chairs at the bottom sat local officials, all of different ages, there were seven or eight people in total, but this large hall is now quiet without even a trace of sound. The officials, all bowed their heads at this time, daring to speak.
And the man sitting in the main seat is only twenty-two this year.
He was wearing a crimson official robe, with a black cloak over his head, a crimson-blue embroidered waist with no jade or a purse, only a solitary token, engraved with the three characters of Duchayuan, soap There was a thick layer of mud on the bottom of the boots, and even the hem of the clothes had some traces of dry mud, but these did not detract from his bearing.
His eyebrows are handsome, his face is very white, his lips are neither thin nor thick, they are a nice pink color, his nose bridge is very straight, and his jaw line is very beautiful.
Shen Yuqian, who was famous in the capital at the time, is now Lord Shen who is revered by everyone.
He seems to be as gentle as before, with a smile on his lips, and his eyes looking at people are also warm and generous, but the smile never reaches the bottom of his eyes again, even if he smiles, it is just so clear and light, his hands The tea cup in the room fell on the table, and a sound, neither light nor heavy, shocked the officials in the two rows below.
However, Shen Shao didn't seem to notice, and his tone was still very gentle, "After thinking about it for so long, do you have a solution?"
No answer.
These officials, who were almost a round or two older than Shen Shao, bowed their heads, fearing that they would be named by him, and they were trembling.
"Master Sun." Shen Shao turned his eyes to a middle-aged man sitting on the right, and said politely, "You are our prefect of Hankou, and you should be in charge. I ask you, what do you think?"
This "you" almost made Sun Zhifu kneel on the ground.
Who doesn't know that this Shen Shao, the Censor Shen is famous for smiling Yan Luo. In recent years, he has gone from a small county magistrate all the way to where he is today, and now he has become the most trusted eyes and ears of the emperor.
Now that the official imperial censor of the Supreme Court has reached the age of rejuvenation, I am afraid that within a few years, this young Lord Shen will become the head of the Supreme Court.
When I heard that this Lord Shen was coming this morning, he was so frightened that he didn't even hold his official hat, and he almost fell when he went out.
Now-
He stood there, and under Shen Shao's warm gaze, his old face turned pale and his voice trembled, "Wei, Wei Chen thinks that it will be fine when the court issues official silver."
"not good."
Shen Shao said with a smile, his tone was still very gentle, and the expression on his face did not change: "Hankou is still a long way from the capital, and Master Sun just handed over the book yesterday, and it will take a lot of time even if you are fast. "
"Is it possible that these people have been left homeless for a while?"
His smiling words not only did not make Sun Zhifu relieved, but made his face even paler, "Yes, it's Wei Chen's fault, Wei Chen originally thought it was just a small disaster, but I didn't expect..." Where did he not expect , I just don't want the court to know, I think I can solve it by myself.
But who would have thought that it was only a small-scale flood, but it would turn into that look later.
There is really no way, for fear of causing a bigger accident, he gritted his teeth and handed the book to the court, but he didn't expect the imperial envoy to come to the court, but he waited to deal with the matter in the surrounding towns. Shen Shao.
"Master Sun." Shen Shao said, "Now is not the time to investigate who is right and who is wrong. Things have happened, and how to solve it should be the first priority."
"Yes Yes Yes… "
Sun Zhifu wiped the sweat from his forehead, "No, why don't we call the local wealthy gentry and ask them to donate?"
"This is a good way." Shen Shao agreed: "But people's money is not for nothing. How does Master Sun plan to make them donate?"
"This… "
How could he think so much
In the past, when I ran out of money, I directly asked these businessmen for money. Those who refused to give it, just think of a way to solve it. These people have been fighting and rolling for so many years. Who would dare not give this
But looking at Shen Shao's meaning, he wants them to take the initiative to donate, how is this possible
Sun Zhifu suddenly didn't know what to say.
Shen Shao didn't open his mouth, just looked at the person. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of his bodyguard, Chang Feng, coming in. Then he withdrew his gaze and asked, "What's wrong?"
Chang Feng cupped his hands and said, "Master, Young Master Biao is here."
Now there is only one Li family who has a relationship with the Shen family. Shen Shao was surprised, "Qilang is here? Let him come in." Seeing Changfeng's hesitant expression, he also understood the letter that Qilang sent him before. After a few minutes, he instructed: "Let them go to the flower hall to sit first, and I'll go over after I've dealt with it here."
"Yes!"
Changfeng handed over and left.
Shen Shao regained his concentration, looked at Sun Zhifu, and said in a calm tone, "Master Sun needs to know that time and money are the most important things. In the morning, this official went to see the situation outside. Those people are really pitiful, Master Sun and the rest. Since the lord has become this parental official, he has to give more consideration to the common people."
His tone was always gentle, but the meaning in his words made the hearts of the people shudder.
Everyone in the hall got up, and Shen Shao said again: "This official has something to do, this matter, all the adults will discuss it for a while, and after two hours, this official will come back, I hope this official can hear a good one by then. reply."
He left after saying that.
It wasn't until he left that a group of people in the room turned pale, let out a sigh of relief, and slumped on their chairs.
Flower Hall.
Li Qinyuan asked people to bring hot tea, so he asked them to retreat, and he personally twisted a handkerchief for Gu Wuyou to wipe the cold sweat on his forehead, and coaxed people, "Honey, drink some hot tea, don't think about those things. already."
But how could she forget it
As long as you close your eyes, you can recall the corpses, the bugs lingering on the corpses, and the endless cries.
It's not that she's afraid, it's just uncomfortable, like a heavy fist hitting her chest, making her feel extremely depressed...
Li Qinyuan wanted to comfort a few words when he heard footsteps coming from outside. He looked up and saw a man wearing a black cloak stepping against the light. When he saw the person coming, he quickly got up. He said happily, "Uncle!"
"Shiro.
"
Shen Shao was obviously also very happy. They hadn't seen each other for almost three years. He raised his hand and patted Li Qinyuan's arm. Satisfied and proud, "Okay."
"I've heard about you for a while now, and you've done a great job."
Their uncle and nephew, because of their similar ages, have been very close since childhood. Li Qinyuan listened to what he said, and his face was filled with joy. Thinking of Gu Wuyou next to him, he hurriedly introduced him, "Uncle, this is That's what I mentioned to you."
It was probably the first time to introduce Gu Wuyou to someone close to him, and his cheeks were also flushed, but the hand that held Gu Wuyou did not loosen for a moment.
Shen Shao turned his gaze from Li Qinyuan's body to Gu Wuyou. When he saw this face, his expression changed for a moment. It seemed that through the thick years, he saw another person... That person was also so delicate, With such a pair of eyebrows and eyes, when looking at people, there seems to be innate pity and compassion.
But it was only a momentary scene, and he returned to normal, with a gentle tone, "Leping County Lord."
Seeing Shen Shao coming in, Gu Wuyou felt a little weak and tired, bowed to the person, and said, "Just call me Leping."
Shen Shao didn't refuse, and asked Li Qinyuan, "Why are you here all of a sudden?"
"We saw a lot of refugees on the way here. Knowing that there was a flood in Hankou, we decided to come and have a look." Speaking of this, Li Qinyuan's face was still not very good. "Uncle, why are you here?"
Shen Shao's face was not very good, "I was in Wuchang a while ago, and I came to see if something happened in Hankou."
Li Qinyuan knows his temperament. When other people encounter these things, they have long been hiding away, and only he is willing to come and see, "What did the court say?"
Shen Shao: "Sun Yuzhou only sent out the book yesterday, and it is estimated that he will not be able to arrive in the capital until tomorrow."
"These bastards!"
Li Qinyuan was still young after all, and said angrily, "It's been more than ten days since the incident happened today, and these bastards just hide it and don't report it for the black gauze hat on their heads!"
Gu Wuyou's face was not very good-looking, but he pursed his lips and said nothing.
Shen Shao's expression did not change.
In the past three years, he has seen too many things like this, and he has long been accustomed to it. Now that he sees the two of them, he just pours three cups of tea with his eyes down, handed them over, and then said: "If this Sun Yuzhou is a single-minded person Parents and officials of the common people, you won’t see so many refugees on the road.”
Li Qinyuan pursed his lips and sat back again, "Then what should we do now?"
"Sun Yuzhou wants the local wealthy gentry to donate money."
This is a way, but... Li Qinyuan frowned, "Are they willing?"
Shen Shao said in a low voice: "It will definitely come out, but as for whether you will or not, how much you will come out is another matter."
There was a half silence in the room, and after a while, Li Qinyuan turned to look at Gu Wuyou.
Gu Wuyou always knew him, so how could he not know what he was thinking, he nodded at him, "You can make the decision, I will listen to you."
Li Qinyuan's heart warmed, he shook her hand gently under the table, and then looked at Shen Shao, "Uncle, I still have some money that I can use, why don't you..."
Not finished yet.
Shen Shao said, "Just you, what can you use?"
In the face of such a catastrophe, Li Qinyuan's money was only a drop in the bucket.
Because of these words, the room fell silent again, but Gu Wuyou pondered for a while and said, "I have a way." Seeing the two of them cast their gazes over, she was probably a little embarrassed, her cheeks were slightly red, But he continued: "It's not impossible to make them willing to pay."
"I heard that these chambers of commerce in Dazhou are competing openly and secretly every year."
This is what Gu Wuyou heard when she was chatting with Zhuang Ru in Lin'an before. Because Li Qinyuan's Defeng business belongs to Lin'an, he was naturally assigned to the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce. This time, he cooperated with Han Jin and became famous. Zhou, the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce is considered to be at the top of the list.
"Now that there is an accident in Hankou, if the Chamber of Commerce here can work together to solve it, it will naturally be famous all over the world."
When the uncle and nephew heard this, their eyes brightened slightly, but Shen Shao still had doubts, "It's one thing to be together, but how can we make them spend more money?"
"This is also simple."
Probably because his proposal was approved, Gu Wuyou gained more confidence, and he became more calm when he spoke later, "When I was at home, we girls liked to compare when we heard these things and knew each other. No matter how much you donate, you must overwhelm the other party."
Thinking about it now, it was just a rivalry between boudoirs at the beginning, who knew that the suffering in the world turned out to be such a tragic situation.
Li Qinyuan noticed that her tone was weak, and knew that she must be thinking of the tragic situations she had seen before, so he gently shook her hand, and when Gu Wuyou looked over, he gave him a reassuring smile, seeing her After calming down a bit, he said to Shen Shao, "Uncle, this is a good idea."
"When you look back, let me go. I'll come out first. Those people naturally don't want to damage this face in their own land."
"it is good."
Shen Shao got up, "Then follow this, the matter is urgent, Qilang, you go out with me first."
Li Qinyuan nodded, followed to get up, and saw Gu Wuyou next to him, just as he was about to speak, he heard someone who had already said understandingly, "Go ahead, I will ask Lin Qing to take me to the inn."
"it is good."
Li Qinyuan stopped talking and followed Shen Shao out the door.
With Li Qinyuan's presence, the Hankou Chamber of Commerce didn't take long to let go.
With the money, things will be much easier here. Shen Shao has people collect all the bodies first. If there are relatives, they will take them back, and then they will be buried with the funeral team. If they are not claimed, they will be sent first. Yizhuang, take care of the people over there.
After the flood, I was most afraid of those diseases, so I hired a doctor to prepare the medicine.
They also spent money to get local strong men to rebuild their houses.
After more than ten days like this, the situation here has finally stabilized, and the disaster relief money in the capital has also been allocated.
Shen Shao then had another notice posted, and had them beating gongs and drums quickly, shouting to several surrounding places all the way to let all the refugees who left their homes come back.
In fact, when things happened, the most fearful thing is that there is no backbone to do practical things. Before Sun Yuzhou and others pushed me to stop, no one would come to do these things, and the people below
The officials also follow the same pattern. How can the common people stay when they see this situation? One by one they all ran out.
Now there is Shen Shao personally in charge, walking in front of the people every day, letting them know that no matter what happens, there is a solution.
The worries in everyone's heart naturally dissipated.
That night, Shen Shao returned to the official office, and when he saw Li Qinyuan coming out of Gu Wuyou's house, he stopped and asked softly, "Are you asleep?"
"Um."
Li Qinyuan nodded, "She has been tired these days, and fell asleep just after washing her face."
these days-
Both of them also supported Shen Shao.
Shen Shao nodded and patted Li Qinyuan on the shoulder again, "Don't disturb her, go to my room and sit."
"Okay." After entering the room, Shen Shao took a shower first, then wiped his hands while holding the handkerchief and asked Li Qinyuan, "Are you going back tomorrow?"
"Yeah." Li Qinyuan said, "I sent a letter to Beijing when I was in Yueyang earlier. I didn't expect to be delayed for so long in Hankou. If I don't go back, I'm afraid her family should be worried."
Seeing that every time he mentioned Gu Wuyou, there was a bright smile in his eyes, and Shen Shao was also happy for his only nephew, "You should be relieved if your sister is like this now."
Li Qinyuan smiled, never mentioning his mother's sorrow.
Shen Shao poured himself another glass of wine, "After I go back, I've settled down, and I'll take someone to see your grandmother... She has missed you all these years."
"it is good."
Li Qinyuan agreed, he took the wine from Shen Shao, hesitated for a while, but still said, "Uncle, you are not too young, actually..." He glanced at Shen Shao, saw his gentle brows and pursed lips. After pursing her lips, she said again, "Sister Gu Yu has not been married all these years. I suspect that there is something else hidden in the past."
"I've seen her a few times in the academy over the years. She's not like that."
Hearing her mentioning Gu Ting, the warmth in Shen Shao's eyes gradually dissipated, his slender fingers held the celadon wine cup, and his flawless cheeks like white jade made people look a little dazed under the candlelight, "I know she is not people like that."
- "I used to like you, but what I like is Shen Yuqian, who is famous in the capital, not the current Shen Shao who is useless and completely defeated."
- "Shen Shao, the Shen family has collapsed, and the fate of you and me is exhausted. From now on, you and I will marry a man and a woman, and it will be irrelevant."
He remembered that three years ago, the woman in green stood in front of him and said this to him.
He didn't believe what she said.
The Gu Ting he knew was not such a person.
Li Qinyuan was puzzled: "Then why..."
"Because she also said a word to me." Shen Shao raised his head, but did not look at Li Qinyuan, but looked at the night outside the half-opened window. A short-lived flower was blooming just right by the window, but it was fleeting. The flowers withered again.
Just like the affection between them, when they are in full bloom, they are extremely strong, and in an instant, there is only a barren and lonely place.
"she says-"
- "Shen Shao, I don't think I love you, I have never lost my mind because of you, and I have never lost my heart because of you, nor have I lost my soul because of you.
Po, after leaving you, I found that my life has not changed at all, and I am still living a good life. "
"She never lost her mind because of my tea and rice, nor because of my broken heart, nor because I lost my soul..." Shen Shao's eyes fell on the epiphyllum, and his voice seemed very ethereal in this night, "She and I have lived after separation. Good, better than ever."
"I believe what she said, it's true."
"Uncle..." Li Qinyuan opened his mouth to persuade, but found that he couldn't say a word.
Shen Shao smiled, there was too much downfall in that smile, and some self-deprecation, but he didn't show it in front of Li Qinyuan, he just patted Li Qinyuan on the shoulder and said to him, "Okay, go back and rest. Bar."
"I have something to do tomorrow, so I won't send you."
Li Qinyuan nodded, and when he was leaving, he glanced at Shen Shao who was behind him. Seeing him pouring his own drink, he pursed his lips. After all, he didn't say anything. He closed the door for others and left.
When Shen Shao in the room saw him leave, he didn't get up.
After drinking this pot of wine, and when the candles in the room began to dance, he took out a purse with a thread in the corner. I stroked the lines on the purse.
- "Brother Yuqian!"
- "Yu Qian."
- "Shen Yuqian..."
- "Shen Shao."
One after another shouts lingering in my ears, brisk, joyful, shy, indifferent, silent, from childhood to the present, the scenery remains the same throughout the four seasons, but the feelings between them change again and again. , from the pure and innocent brother-sister relationship, to the young man who later confessed his heart.
Now, one of them has become Mr. Gu and the other has become Master Shen.
They live in the same world again, but they are no longer in the same relationship as before.
The night is cold as water.
The evening wind outside tapped the windows.
The night in October was already a bit cold, and the wind blew the candles in the house dimly, but Shen Shao seemed to be oblivious. He just held the purse and drank the wine one after another.