Xu Mingye laughed, patted Mingyu on the shoulder, shook his head and said, "You didn't see what Lord Wei looked like. He was furious and indignant and wanted to put me, the traitor, in jail, but when His Royal Highness the Prince came, he immediately changed his face and apologized, saying that he had made a mistake. He was just scolding Dad for plundering the people, but now he is smiling and talking happily with Dad, as if we were close friends for many years. He is indeed a veteran who has been in the officialdom for many years and can bend and stretch!"
"Prince?" Mingyu was a little confused. Could it be that Brother Qi was so important? How come I had never heard of a prince of Lu'an staying there for a long time
"You don't know yet." Xu Mingye smiled, "We are lucky. We happened to catch up with the Prince of Qin coming to Lu'an to visit the Grand Scholar Qi. When the Grand Scholar Qi was still in the capital, he taught the Prince of Qin. He came this time just to visit his teacher. Dad asked me to come back first, and said that you are our family's lucky star, so he invited a prince to come. When the dog official surnamed Wei heard that it was the Prince of Qin, he only knew to nod and fawn on him, and he didn't dare to say a word of no."
Mingyu blushed, thinking of the nobleman with a cool temperament, his white jade fingers holding the curtain, and the story of "Wei what". No wonder he looked so noble, he turned out to be the prince of Da Chu.
There are not many people in Da Chu who are named as county kings. Generally, they are royal nobles who are particularly favored by the emperor. I just don't know where this Qin County King came from. If he is a member of the royal family, why is his surname Qin instead of Song
Near noon, Mrs. Xu came back from outside. She heard that Xu Mingye was almost imprisoned by the officials from the prefecture. She was so shocked that she pulled Xu Mingye back and forth to look at him several times. After confirming that her son was not missing a hair, she sat down on the chair with lingering fear. The good mood of the morning when the business was booming and the customers were everywhere was gone. She sighed, "Oh, it really makes people have no peace of mind for a day!"
"Mother, brother is fine, don't skip a word." Mingyu said with a smile while holding Madam Xu's hand.
Madam Xu hugged Mingyu into her arms, her face a little tired, and whispered, "I know he's fine, but this can only happen once, not a second or third time! I just heard a rumor on the street that the King of Shu issued a manifesto to fight against the enemy, saying that the late emperor and the prince were killed by Prime Minister Dong, and that Prime Minister Dong colluded with the Tartars and wanted to use the Yellow River as the boundary, and all the land west of Shanxi would be ceded to the Tartars. They wanted to go to the capital to purge the emperor, and united with several princes to raise an army to defend the king, and they have already started fighting in Jizhou. The world is too chaotic, the Tartars in the northwest have all run into my house, and my own people are still fighting."
"Alas, it's such a mess, who knows what will happen in the future." Madam Xu sighed deeply. She was far away in Jiangnan. Neither the Tartars nor the civil war were going on under her nose. Jiangnan was still a prosperous and peaceful place. However, although she had not read many books, she knew the truth that if the skin is gone, the hair will fall off. Without the northwest border defense and the stability of the capital, how could Jiangnan prosper
Xu Mingye listened silently and said, "No wonder the taxes are so heavy this year. I'm afraid there will be a war. The treasury is empty and they are in urgent need of money." Even if it is a plunder, it would not increase the taxes by 60% at once. It would be killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. The King of Shu probably has no shortage of money and food. His fiefdom is Sichuan and Chongqing, which are known as the "Land of Abundance". The wealth is no less than that of Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
Mingyu, however, was thinking of something else. "The King of Shu is leading his troops to the capital to defend the country? Then what about the northwest? What about those cities occupied by the Tartars? So many people have fled... Also, how can the northwest troops defending the city defeat the Tartars without the reinforcements from the King of Shu?" By that time, the Great Chu would have been occupied by the Tartars, and everyone would be slaves of a conquered country. Who would care who became the emperor
If Master Bao was still in the northwest, the reinforcements had gone to attack the capital, and the Tartar cavalry were pressing forward outside... Mingyu's heart tightened, and she dared not think about it anymore.
Xu Mingye shook his head and said with a smile: "After all, the Northwest Army has been trained through years of fighting against the Tartars. How can it be as useless as you think? Well, don't worry about it. No matter what, the Tartars will not come to Jiangnan. At worst, there is still the Yellow River Fortress guarded by the King of Jin!"
Xu Mingye said it lightly, but he was anxious in his heart. Not long after the new emperor issued an edict ordering the King of Shu to lead the Shu army to support the unification of the Northwest, the King of Shu clearly rebelled. However, he did not act like his father Song Wei, but cleverly raised the banner of clearing the court of evil officials.
After Mingyu came back, he didn't go to the academy for a few days in order to spend more time with his sister, and missed the news. Qi Su had just told him that as the King of Shu had united several troops to march into the capital to defend the king, all the main roads leading to the capital had been blocked, and it was likely that the joint examination originally scheduled for next spring could not be held as scheduled.
However, he and Qi Su had no intention of going to Beijing to take the exam. Everyone knew that Prime Minister Dong was a thief who stole the country and actively cultivated his power. He also served as the chief judge of the joint and palace examinations. Whoever passed the exam next year would be his disciple. He could not afford such a high hat.
Mingyu thought about it and thought that maybe she was overthinking. With powerful enemies outside and no reinforcements inside, it was impossible for the second young master, who was a son of a marquis, to stay in the northwest in such a harsh environment. Thinking back to the camp of the Shu army reinforcements led by Lu Hao, if it was really the main force of the Shu army, how could there be so few people? No wonder the Tartars did not seem anxious to invade all the way. They were not stupid. They did not have to fight and die, and they could get a large area of fertile land and slaves for free. Who would be in a hurry to let their own people go up and die
It's just that Lu'an is really a quiet little place. Although there are rumors and wars outside, Lu'an is still stable and peaceful, just like the two rivers flowing quietly through Lu'an, without feeling any instability brought by the war.
Mingyu recalled the bustling market she had visited in the morning, which formed a sharp contrast with the panic escape at the Tianshui South Gate before the city was broken. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
By the time the sun set, Mrs. Xu had already prepared dinner. The family sat around the charcoal brazier at the table waiting for Xu Changqian to come home for dinner. However, it was not until dark and the food had been reheated several times that Xu Changqian finally came back with heavy steps.
When he opened the door, he saw his wife and children waiting for him. The food on the table was untouched. Xu Changqian washed his hands in the basin and said, "You can eat first. You don't have to wait for me."
Madam Xu stood up, took the handkerchief and handed it to Xu Changqian, and asked with concern: "Why did you come back so late? What bad ideas did that dog official surnamed Wei come up with again?"
Xu Changqian shook his head and sighed, "It's still about taxes. After the prince left, he said that Ming Ye's mistakes were young and ignorant, but the taxes from above still had to be collected. I said all the good things he could, and he also had to consider the prince's face, so he reduced the tax to 30%."
Madam Xu nodded silently. It was not easy to reduce to this extent. After Xu Changqian sat down, she comforted him, "Just do your best. If you reduce this 30%, you won't force the people to death. As officials, we don't ask for promotion, but we ask to be clear in our conscience and live up to our conscience."
Even though it was 30% less, Xu Changqian was still in a bad mood. This year was different from previous years. It was a disaster. It was difficult to pay the tax amount of previous years, not to mention the tax increase. However, he looked at his wife who was concerned and his daughter who was looking at him eagerly. He didn't want to make them worry. He picked up the chopsticks and smiled, "Let's not talk about this. Eat quickly, eat! Don't starve my little Mingyu!"
Xu Changqian started eating, and the remaining three people in the Xu family began to eat. Halfway through the meal, Xu Changqian suddenly said to Xu Mingye, "Today, thanks to His Royal Highness the Prince, otherwise Lord Wei would never let go so easily. I heard from Master Qi that His Royal Highness the Prince will leave Lu'an tomorrow. After dinner, while it's dark, I'll take you to the Qi Mansion to thank His Royal Highness the Prince."
Madam Xu's expression changed when she heard this, and she asked, "What gifts should we prepare? His Highness the Prince has been a royal family since he was young, and I'm afraid the things in our house won't be to his liking."
Xu Changqian thought for a while and said, "I don't know what this prince likes. He seems to be very cold and even Master Qi doesn't know him very well."
The nobles in the capital all love elegant things. Madam Xu said, "We still have a few paintings and calligraphy you brought back from the capital. Why don't we give them to the prince as a thank you gift?"
Xu Changqian smiled and shook his head. Those calligraphy and paintings were collected by him when he was young. The Xu family had fallen on hard times at that time and he didn't have any extra money. Those calligraphy and paintings were not from famous artists, so how could they be presented to the public
"It's better not to send this calligraphy and painting to His Royal Highness." Xu Mingye said with a smile, "I heard from Qi Su that the paintings of Qin County Prince are the best in the capital, and they are hard to come by at a high price. Even Qi Daxueshi has a high opinion of his paintings. If we send these paintings to him, it will do harm."
Mrs. Xu was surprised, and after a while she said, "Then it really can't be given away."
"Forget it." Xu Changqian waved his hand, "Let's go empty-handed. I'm an honest official and I don't have anything to show for it. Besides, it's still unknown whether the prince will be willing to meet us."
Mingyu ate silently. This was true. It only took a few words for someone to help you, and they might not even bother to see you again. But no matter whether the prince was willing to accept the gratitude or not, a favor was a favor and could not be denied. Xu Changqian personally brought his son to express his gratitude, which showed gratitude, and it was another matter whether the prince was willing to see them or not.
When they were about to leave, Madam Xu took Mingyu to the door to see them off. As soon as Xu Mingye got on the carriage, he turned to Mingyu and said with a smile, "Mingyu, you can go too."
"Ah?" Mingyu was stunned.
Xu Mingye reached out and pulled Mingyu into the carriage, smiling, "Didn't you invite His Royal Highness the Prince?" No skipping words. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to subscribe and give rewards on Qidian Mobile Network (). Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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