Cui Shi's writing skills are really reliable. He wrote a scroll of imperial edict with just the right amount of blank space, which should have been a well-written four-six parallel style. The handwriting is clear and natural. If you don't know him, you might think it's some kind of calligraphy exercise. The handwriting is good, and the content is also good. He used these few lines to write out the ups and downs of the ups and downs, making Li Qishen feel that he had no choice but to accept the will of heaven, as if anyone who disagreed would be struck to death by a thunderbolt.
This is not new. Many people have done this in the past dynasties. The nobles in Chang'an are not afraid of thunder, but they are afraid of the military power in Li Qishen's hands. He can mobilize at least five towns. His temperament is completely different from that of the previous emperors. His speech and behavior are indeed elegant, but he is not kind and affectionate. Instead, he is fierce and violent, like a hungry beast.
Li Qishen did not hold a grand ceremony to ascend the throne. He only had a glass of light wine as a sacrifice to heaven and ancestors. In order to save money, he did not even make a formal dress for the emperor. When he went to court the next day, he wore casual clothes. He was dressed neatly, but from the color of the fabric, it could be seen that the clothes were a bit old. At least they were made at the beginning of last year. Some people laughed at him secretly for being shabby, but the moment he sat down and looked down at them, he was full of dignity. Not to mention this dignified casual clothes, even if he was wearing a piece of rags, he was still the king at the top of the empire.
Zuo Pushe stepped forward and reported the matter of the Jiangnan rebellion that had been quelled. There was a severe drought in Jiangnan, and most of the rebels were starving people who had nowhere to go. The food sent by Chang'an City for disaster relief was exploited at every level, and if they did not rebel, they would be dead. The leader was completely different from them. He had eaten his fill of the money and food for disaster relief and wanted to take advantage of the rebellion to get a piece of the pie.
"All soldiers who surrender will not be killed or punished, and will be sent back to their hometowns as they are." Li Qishen rarely showed some tenderness, and did not embarrass the helpless starving people. "The East and West will be exempted from taxes for two years, so they can rest and recuperate."
Zuo Pushe did not expect Li Qishen to say that. He was stunned for a moment and was about to say "Your Majesty is wise" just for the sake of politeness, but Li Qishen spoke again. His voice was clear, and his tone was still light, but it made him shudder.
"As for the governor of the prefecture who embezzled money and grain, just bury him in the ground." Li Qishen thought of the person Ye Jian mentioned at that time and smiled slightly. "Since he caused the suffering of many people due to his greed, let the food grow on his flesh and blood next year, as a return to the people."
Zuo Pushe was shocked and wanted to persuade him, but after a long while, he didn't know where to start, so he could only respond and retreat. After that, there were more reports, and Li Qishen responded to them one by one, still with the same brutal statement. After careful consideration, he felt that it was handled well and might be the best solution.
Therefore, all the ministers in the court had no objection, and they thought that this was Li Qishen's way of doing things. Except for the first two days when they were always sweating, they gradually got used to it. Anyway, the guillotine would not fall on their heads. The new emperor sent imperial edicts to all directions, mobilized troops and horses to weave a net bit by bit, and strangled the rebels in the net.
It is easier said than done. Li Qishen had the unnecessary decorations in the Hall of Eternal Life removed. The emperor's bedroom was as plain as a military tent. He handled government affairs in the hall with an oil lamp burning until midnight, which was heartbreaking to watch.
Xie Wangzhi was not familiar with government affairs and could not help much, but fortunately, food and meat were gradually delivered from Chang'an City. With more ingredients, she could make more midnight snacks. Tonight, she used the flour left over from dinner to make a bowl of fine noodles, and used chicken soup that had been filtered twice as the base. She could not make the ten or so side dishes she used to have, so she could only press a few chopsticks of green leafy vegetables boiled in water and serve it with a runny poached egg.
Li Qishen never had any special preference for food, and there was nothing wrong with noodles, and they were made by Xie Wangzhi, so what could he be dissatisfied with? He finished the noodles and side dishes with a few chopsticks, drank the chicken soup, and almost licked the bowl.
After finishing a bowl of chicken noodle soup, he put down his bowl and chopsticks. Xie Wangzhi, who had been sitting obediently at the table, immediately put the bowl and chopsticks back into the food box and covered it with the lid as it was.
She had been delivering midnight snacks these days, and she never talked much. Li Qishen was too busy to take care of her, but now, under the lamplight, the light was reflected on the girl's fair skin, making it look as smooth as jade. Xie Wangzhi's long eyelashes drooped, and the hair left on the side of her ears also drooped. The whole person looked like a casual stroke of ink, light and elegant, just like the one in the Book of Songs who was suitable for home.
Li Qishen's heart moved slightly, and he couldn't help but put out his hand to touch her cheek, and his fingertips brushed her eyelashes. Sure enough, she felt a little itchy, just like the feeling at the tip of his heart at this moment.
"What's wrong?" Xie Wangzhi ignored his nonsense and thought that something happened to him.
"Nothing." Li Qishen put his hand away, smiled at her, and said sincerely, "I couldn't take care of you these two days, so I asked you to bring me midnight snacks. Thank you for your hard work."
Xie Wang was stunned for a moment, then smiled, and gathered the few strands of hair that had fallen on his shoulders. He shook his head and said seriously, "It's not hard, it's just a coincidence."
She didn't have the habit of eating midnight snacks. The palace maids in the kitchen were not familiar with her, so how could they ask her to make midnight snacks? Li Qishen just thought she wanted to make him feel at ease: "Why should I refuse? I'm just saying it's hard work, I'm not going to give you a lot of gold."
"No, it was just by chance." Xie Wangzhi said more seriously, "The chicken soup tonight was made with chicken bones that had been minced. The meat on the bones couldn't be minced cleanly, so I gave it to Coal Ball after the soup was cooked. Coal Ball had to be fed anyway, so it was just a convenience."
Li Qishen: “…”
He was silent for a moment: "According to you, I and Coal Ball... eat from the same pot?"
This is the truth. Xie Wangzhi originally thought it was nothing, but when these words came out of Li Qishen's mouth, they sounded strange. She felt a little awkward and thought for a while: "Well... I guess so."
"… Forget it." Li Qishen was too lazy to argue with Meiqiu. As a good person, why would he argue with a cat? He sighed and picked up the topic he had thought of earlier, "I have…"
"I have something to tell you." Xie Wangzhi got there first and interrupted him. She was stunned for a moment, looked at the man in front of her, and scratched her face. "Sorry to interrupt you. You go ahead and talk first."
"No problem." Xie Wangzhi rarely spoke up, so Li Qishen was not in a hurry and planned to listen first. "My matter is not urgent, I need to think about it. I'll listen to you."
"Then I'll talk first." Xie Wangzhi didn't refuse, and paused, "I have to go home."
"Why do you suddenly want to go home?"
"This is what I think. When the rebels besieged Chang'an City, they had to take emergency measures. The city was in chaos. I could live in the princess's mansion or in the palace. No one could control me anyway, and they wouldn't pay attention to me." Xie Wangzhi continued, "But now that the situation has settled, it's time to find the rules from every angle. The princess is getting married, and I can't follow her to Huihe. It's even more wrong to stay in Chang'an and occupy her mansion."
Li Qishen thought to himself that this was not a problem. Just as he was about to speak, Xie Wangzhi glanced at him and stopped him from thinking, "It's not okay to live in the palace."
"Why not?"
"... You are the emperor now. Those who still live in the palaces are either your father's concubines or..." Xie Wangzhi was too embarrassed to say this out loud. After a while, he whispered, "Well, they are your concubines. How can I live there?"
"Oh?" Li Qishen suppressed his laughter, lifted up Xie Wangzhi's chin, and stroked his delicate cheek with his fingertips, "You are not my concubine?"
He was a man who knew his superiors and inferiors very well, and had never called himself that in front of Xie Wangzhi. When Xie Wangzhi heard this, he got goosebumps all over his body. The man who lifted her chin was indeed the emperor, but his tone was full of teasing, and even the solemn and dignified self-proclaimed title had changed its flavor. He didn't sound like a wise ruler who pacified the world, but more like the kind of nonsense in a shadow play.
Xie Wangzhi was not afraid of him at all. He glared at Li Qishen and said, "Let go."
"Then do you remember what I said to you at that time?" Li Qishen quickly withdrew his hands, and even changed his posture, with his hands placed on his knees properly, just short of sticking a note with "good boy" on his forehead, "I said I would go to your house to propose marriage. Now let me ask you, do you want me to go right away, or wait for another two years?"
Xie Wangzhi probably guessed what he was going to say, but he deliberately said, "Why, Your Majesty, do you want to fill up your harem for two years before looking for my father-in-law?"
"Then I'm afraid you'll beat me to death at a young age." Li Qishen said casually, and laughed to himself for a while, then became serious, "Changning is going to marry into the Huihe, and the dowry must include gold, silk, pearls and jade. First, it is to show the majesty of our dynasty and not lose face. Second, if the things are not enough, the Huihe side will not be satisfied. It can be said that it is also forced by the situation. We have no choice but to do so. In addition, we have to pay the military salaries, and the various places have to be rebuilt after the rebellion is suppressed. It will cost a lot of money just for the renovation."
"… Um."
"I have lived to this day with nothing in my sleeves. I have no money to spend. The little military pay I saved in the Tiande Army has been spent on the army. If I go to your house to propose marriage now, I will be empty-handed, and I won't be able to hold the ceremony of conferring the title of queen and getting married later." Li Qishen added the heaviest weight, "In order to stabilize the people's hearts, even if the treasury is full in the future, I will not hold a ceremony. I can't take out anything now, do you still want to marry me at this time?"
"Then what can you say if you didn't even hold the coronation ceremony?"
Li Qishen was stunned: "This is different. I don't care, but you..."
"Then I don't care." Xie Wangzhi smiled, gently grasped his hand, clasped his hands together, and stroked his slightly rough fingertips, "I am marrying you, not marrying the betrothal gift, nor marrying the ceremony. They are all external things. Whether there are those things or not, I am marrying you, so what does it matter?"
Li Qishen thought it made sense, but then he thought it was wrong. He was a little narrow-minded as a man, always thinking about piling pearls, jade and silk on the girl he liked: "How about we take it slow?"
"If you say it again, I'll think you're unwilling and reluctant to give up your place for me to live in." Xie Wangzhi had a blank expression on his face.
"Okay." Li Qishen quickly agreed, lowered his head and kissed the back of Xie Wangzhi's hand, "Then I will go tomorrow. If your brother wants to chase me away with a broom, I will have to trouble you to save me."
The author has something to say: Changsheng is really a poor guy (.) Having said that, sisters, if there is really a man who wants to marry you without spending a penny, and wants you to suffer with him after marriage, it is better to slap him twice and say goodbye to him (…) Changsheng can do this because he was appointed by his biological mother, and his family really has a throne to inherit (x)
Changsheng: I feel offended (.)