"This dynasty has gone through a hundred years. From the poverty and weakness at the beginning of the dynasty to the determined development of several monarchs, the lives of the people of Daqi gradually became happy. There was also a period of nearly five years from the Qiande year to Yongding. Ten years of prosperity. Even in the early years of Xikang, everyone's life was pretty good. How come the people's lives have deteriorated in recent years? "
Li Wei asked these questions to Lu Caiping, who was standing by.
Lu Caiping used to be a woman who was indifferent to worldly affairs and was raised in a boudoir. She occasionally wrote a few verses to comfort herself. But after a few years in the countryside, she truly understood the suffering of the people and the helplessness of the people.
"Queen Mother, don't you know that what has dragged down this dynasty are the wars in recent years, the successive famines, and the taxes on the people. The people just want to live a stable life, but now stability has become a problem. kind of luxury.”
Li Wei said: "How could I not know that the people are poor, and the court actually has no money. Since the tenth year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, the instability in the border areas and several foreign wars have almost depleted the family wealth accumulated in those decades of prosperity. . It’s time for this country to change.”
Lu Caiping said with a smile: "It's rare for the Queen Mother to have such a heart and mind. I heard that the Queen Mother is building Hui Medical Office and building a medical center. These are good things that benefit the country and the people."
"However, these are far from enough. We must vigorously develop agriculture and commerce, develop handicrafts, and engage in science and technology, so that this dynasty can be saved. Now we should also follow the example of the two emperors Wen and Jing in the early Han Dynasty. The people need to cultivate their health, and developing production is the right way. , and corresponding policies should be introduced.”
Li Wei valued Lu Caiping's knowledge, so he asked her to stay by his side to draft various documents for her, serve as a consultant for her, and act as the female historian next to Li Wei. Li Wei also gave her an upright title, Mrs. Yipin Chongwen, Appreciating Purple Wen Yan's robes are embroidered, and he can enter and exit the inner court freely.
When this decree was first promulgated, it encountered fierce opposition from senior cabinet ministers.
"Your Majesty, that Mrs. Lu is immoral and unworthy of her responsibilities. Please give her careful consideration."
Didn't she just look down on Caiping's divorce? Li Wei wanted to applaud Caiping's move. She responded calmly: "This is my intention. It has been decided, so don't object anymore." ”
"Queen Mother, Lu's moral character is corrupt and her influence is far-reaching. If you reuse her, I'm afraid it will cause dissatisfaction between the government and the public, so I ask you to take back her appointment." Several old ministers headed by Zheng Guangliang had already kowtowed to Li Wei.
Li Wei turned a blind eye and said: "I reuse Mrs. Chongwen because I appreciate her talent. Moreover, her moral character is not as bad as the legend says. You don't want to follow others' opinions. No one is allowed to discuss this matter!" Li Wei had an angry look on his face. It is rare to get angry in front of ministers.
Seeing that their persuasion was ineffective, several people turned to seek help from Du Yu.
"Master Chief Assistant, why would the Queen Mother reuse an immoral wife? Everything Lu has done is disgraceful."
Seeing that all of them were disgraced and unwilling to give in, Du Yu said, "The Queen Mother may have valued Lu's talents. I heard that the woman wrote good articles, and the Queen Mother seems to like her."
"It is not a woman's duty to write good articles. The Queen Mother's move is really unpredictable."
Du Yu smiled slightly: "If there is anything I can't guess, Mrs. Lu became famous a few years ago, and everyone has heard about it. The Queen Mother probably wants to attract such talents to help her make suggestions."
Du Yu's words shocked everyone present. Liao Qi asked: "Does the Queen Mother want to seize power?"
Another person said: "It is a big taboo for a woman to interfere with the dynasty. The dynasty has been established for more than a hundred years, but such a thing has never happened. It is really inappropriate."
Du Yu said: "It's hard to say whether it's a good fit or not. The Queen Mother is young, so she might have other thoughts and be uneasy about her duties. That's normal. In the early years, we had people from the Li family use it to make trouble, but here the Li family wants to avoid the limelight. I can’t choose anything else. Let’s take it one step at a time. It’s not easy for a little girl to seize power.”
Li Wei's desire to reuse Lu Caiping was not just a matter of words. She allowed Lu Caiping to enter the Chongwen Pavilion and read the books there freely. She even asked her to teach the princesses to read and help her draft some decrees.
Some time passed, and anyone could see how much Li Wei relied on Lu Caiping.
Li Wei has not yet reached out to the government affairs of the previous dynasty, and the veterans of the cabinet do not dare to do anything. Everyone is in peace.
In early October, bad news came from the Shangshu Mansion. Li Yi had been lingering on the bed for several months and finally passed away.
Li Wei had to go home to express his condolences after hearing the sad news.
Li Wei, Li Xing and other brothers and sisters put on mourning clothes and mourned together in front of the coffin. They all looked sad, but Li Xing cried the most sadly.
Seeing this, Li Shao praised Li Xing for his filial piety, and Li Wei comforted Li Xing when he came down.
However, Li Xing is the only one who understands the reason for her pain. Now that her father is filial to her, in three years time, the regent will no longer be waiting for her.
Funeral ceremonies have their own rules and regulations, and her sixth brother, who is traveling far away, may not be able to come back to pay his last respects to her father. As the queen mother, she had rules and regulations that pressed her down. She had no chance to attend the funeral, but Li Wei regarded these rules and regulations as nonsense. She participated in the entire process from the small coffin to the big coffin to the funeral. After Yan Guan tried to persuade him a little, Li Wei scolded him with a sharp mouth, so that Yan Guan did not dare to talk anymore.
Today, Li Wei can be regarded as a double-hearted filial piety. She only wears plain clothes and eats plain food in Chongqing Palace every day. In mid-October, she received the second letter from Zhao Qian. There was also a painting written by him in the middle. The content of the painting was Bailudong Academy in Lushan Mountain.
The letter describes Zhao Qian's experiences along the way, including his longing for Li Wei. Li Wei was so frightened that he burned the letter on the spot, leaving only the painting, which he quietly kept in his study and often took out for inspection.
Bailudong Academy is the place where Brother Six once studied. It is also the place where she once participated in flood fighting and rescue reporting. It is also the place where she and Zhao Qian met. He had extended a helping hand to himself in Lushan, saving her from being buried by a sudden mudslide.
Lan Hui came in with tea and saw Li Wei looking at the painting in a daze. Lan Hui asked curiously: "Queen Mother, what kind of landscape is this painting? It's so beautiful."
"White Deer Cave." For Li Wei, this place holds too many memories for her.
Lan Hui tilted her head and looked at it once, only thinking that the painting was good, but seeing the Queen Mother admiring it like this every day, she couldn't help but ask: "Who painted this painting?"
Li Wei didn't answer, just stretched out his hand to ask for tea.
(End of chapter)