At lunch time, the prince and Berlin came over together and ordered people to set the meal here as they did in the previous few days. The others were already used to it and went about their business.
Hua Zhi's injury was only her arm, so she didn't have to stay in bed. She was never a squeamish person, and she would sit at the table at mealtime every day to accompany her medicinal food.
Gu Yanxi sat next to Ah Zhi, watching her eyes glance over the various dishes but could only pretend not to see it. The recipe for this medicinal diet was newly prescribed by Yu Lao, tailored to her injuries, and this recipe had many taboos. He was afraid of the medicinal properties, so he didn't dare to give her anything else to eat in the past few days.
After the meal, the prince was not in a hurry to leave. "The Grand Master fell ill. I heard from the returning imperial physician that the Grand Master had been feeling unwell since the day he was in the palace. He had been trying to hold on so that no one could see it because there were so many things going on in the court. It was only when he couldn't hold on that he was exposed."
"The Grand Master is not young anymore, and he had a hard time that day." Hua Zhi had an inexplicable comradeship with the Grand Master because they had faced crises together. "The Grand Master is an important minister, and we cannot let him go. Your Highness, please ask me to go and take a look."
The prince was thinking exactly this in his heart, he lowered his head and took a sip of tea. He then talked about a few matters in the court, which were neither trivial nor important, and could ask the tutor for some advice without causing her too much trouble. He was so considerate that he gradually showed his calmness. Although Hua Zhi was not very energetic, she knew everything she should know. Not to mention what Yan Xi told him, she could also infer some of it.
The major issues in the court nowadays still revolve around the war. Speaking of the war, we cannot help but mention the food supply. The pressure on the Ministry of Revenue is no less than that on the Ministry of War.
The room became quiet. Hua Zhi stood up and walked to the window, looking at the colorful flowers outside, and said, "Nianqiu, you go back and work with Yingchun to collect as much money as possible from the family and give it to my grandfather. You should also sort out the accounts of the toy workshop and hand over a batch of money to the Ministry of Revenue first. Also, hand over all the grain that I asked people to collect before."
"yes."
Even if Daqing intends to swallow up Yan State, as a big country it cannot be too greedy. Even if the King of Yan State is in its hands, it will take hundreds of moves before the rules can be determined. But I don't know if the King of Yan State is tough enough. If he is not tough, that would be great. This matter will not drag on for more than a month. Even if he is tough, the Seven Stars should have a way. So they only need to prepare enough food for this period. Besides, the konjac is almost ripe.
She can help with the food problem, but there is no way to get soldiers. There have been three conscriptions, and the Ministry of War is already preparing for the fourth. Daqing, with a population of 40 million, excluding the elderly, the weak, women and children, cannot withstand the consumption of several wars. Thinking about it this way, it was right that there was no family planning in ancient times, as population is the primary productive force.
Sighing, Hua Zhi raised her right hand and gently pressed her left shoulder.
There is no wall that is impenetrable. The news that Hua Zhi had almost emptied the family fortune that had been saved in the past two years spread like wildfire to thousands of households. Then, the families related to Hua Zhi all expressed their opinions. Although their contributions were not as generous as those given by Hua Zhi, the total amount should not be underestimated.
With someone taking the lead, all officials started to move, whether they were willing or not. Hua Zhi had not expected such a result. She laughed when she heard about it. It seemed that it was the same everywhere. Some things might not bring any benefits if you did them, but if you didn't do them, people would definitely remember them.
Yingchun, who had kept Nianqiu at home and entered the palace herself, handed the medicinal tea to the young lady and said, "From what I know, Mr. Bai paid a large amount."
"Uncle Bai Mingxia?"
"Yes, Mr. Bai sent his steward to settle the previous account yesterday. They are quite familiar with each other. He whispered that the Bai family called Mr. Bai back and scolded him."
Hua Zhi sneered, the head of the family had such a narrow vision. The decline of the Bai family was before their eyes. She didn't know how she would act in front of Uncle Bai when the time came. However, Uncle Bai was no pushover now.
Things did not stop there. Next it was the rich families, and then ordinary families all contributed more or less. The whole city worked together to raise a huge sum of money, which greatly relieved the pressure on the Ministry of Revenue.
Although the war has not stopped, people's hearts are at peace, which is the best situation.
The war did not drag on for long. First, there was news of victory from the west. The Li State was powerless to follow up and its former leader took back the lost territory and forced it to return to its hometown. A few days later, news of a great victory finally came from the north.
"I sent people to destroy the grassland tribe's nest. Now their leader is dead, their youngest son is only three years old, and there is chaos." Facing Azhi's bright eyes, Gu Yanxi smiled, "Under the attack from both inside and outside, they only withdrew a small half of their people. They can't recover without 30 to 50 years of recuperation."
"Are you safe?"
Gu Yanxi nodded, "It's safe."
Hua Zhi grabbed his hand and said, "Can you come back now?"
"Yes, I can come back."
Hua Zhi felt dizzy. She had been waiting for it!
Holding her in his arms, Gu Yanxi kissed her ear and said, "The court officials want to use this as a good omen to hold the coronation ceremony in three days."
"So urgent? In time?"
"The Ministry of Rites has already made preparations."
Yes, it has been so long since the late emperor passed away, the Ministry of Rites must have been carrying out the procedures in an orderly manner. Hua Zhi looked up and asked, "Do I need to leave the palace?"
"No need, you are the prince's tutor, you need to be present that day." The body under his hands was so thin that it was a little uncomfortable to touch. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but Gu Yanxi couldn't feel much heat from Azhi's body, which made him nervous.
Hua Zhi smiled. The young king ascending the throne was a moment that would go down in history, and she also hoped to witness it with her own eyes.
"My grandmother intends to replace all the people in the palace. When the crown prince ascends the throne, she will open the palace gates to recruit palace maids. Once they have learned the rules and are ready to be used, she will release all the previous people."
"That's a solution." Hua Zhi nodded slightly, then frowned, "Your Highness is only twelve, it's better for those people not to get close to him. Although it's a beautiful thing for a red-sleeved lady to accompany you, it's still a little early now."
"Grandma is on high alert and won't let anyone succeed."
"That's good." The voice gradually became lower. Gu Yanxi's heart skipped a beat and he looked down quickly. Sure enough, Azhi had suddenly fallen asleep again.
He pursed his lips, not knowing what to do as he looked at the face that was so thin that the cheeks were sunken. Her body was clearly recovering, but everyone could see that she was not well. Old Yu said that the string was too tight and was on the verge of breaking. Anything they did would only accelerate the process, so he was so helpless.
Now he has not even once told the Crown Prince about letting the Hua family return. He is afraid that once the Hua family returns, Ah Zhi will let out her anger, which will make the situation worse. However, the crisis at Yinshan Pass has been resolved, and the Hua family has contributed half of the reason why Yinshan Pass was able to defend it. As long as the Crown Prince ascends the throne and issues an edict, the Hua family can return to the capital with a legitimate reason. If Ah Zhi's health has not improved by then...
Gu Yanxi didn't dare to think too deeply about it.