On the second day of the second month, the dragon raises its head, and the first imperial tour to the south since the founding of the People's Republic of China officially begins.
The effect is still very obvious.
When people heard that the emperor was going to personally investigate and understand the people's livelihood in the south, the rumors really changed.
The people today are still simple-minded. They believe that if the emperor is willing to visit them, he will definitely help them.
Therefore, from the day Ning Chen set out, many people along the way spontaneously gathered together to kneel and worship.
Ning Chen was not pretentious and simply abandoned his carriage and rode on horseback, allowing the people to see him as the emperor with their own eyes.
It was such a people-friendly move that by the time Ning Chen arrived at the disaster area in Lanzhou, the rumors had almost been quelled.
Although the snowstorm is serious, it also has its benefits.
Because it is cold, the bodies of the dead will not rot quickly, leading to situations such as plague.
It is also easier to handle. All that is needed is to distribute enough cold-resistant supplies and food.
This is also why Ye Jun proposed the southern tour. After all, it is not as risky as the northern tour.
In short, by March, as the weather warmed up, the disaster in Lanzhou was basically resolved.
The letter that Ning Chen sent back gave a general description of the situation. Everything went well, and the next step was to inspect the remaining areas.
At the same time, the results of the handling of the Lanzhou incident were also made public to the whole country.
Han Xingke, the governor of Lanzhou, was sentenced to death and his property was confiscated. His descendants for three generations were not allowed to take the imperial examinations to serve as officials. The magistrates of all counties in Lanzhou were dismissed and investigated. At the same time, Chu Yunhuai was appointed as the magistrate of Dinghe County.
Lanzhou is a large province with a total of five counties. Excluding the position of county magistrate of Dinghe County, there are still five vacancies, which made the officials in the court excited for a while.
Although the county magistrate is not a high-ranking official, he is often the one who can make the most achievements and gain the most experience at the grassroots level. If you send your younger generation there to gain experience for a few years and then find a way to transfer them back to Kyoto, the situation will be very different.
Moreover, the position of prefect is even more coveted, and I wonder who will get it.
In any case, the situation in Lanzhou has now been properly resolved, and we are just waiting for the emperor to return to Beijing after his southern tour.
The harem has been relatively peaceful during this period, except that the Queen is not doing well.
Because she was tired during the New Year holidays, the queen, who was three months pregnant, got her period just a few days after Ning Chen left Beijing.
This time the queen didn't dare to make a fuss anymore. She obediently listened to the imperial physician and rested in bed. She also exempted herself from the concubines' greetings, but she still held the power of the palace in her hands and did not hand it over.
Now everyone in the palace understands that Concubine Zhao goes to Fengqi Palace every day not to accompany the queen or take care of her sick son, but to do things for the queen.
The Queen Mother wanted to say something, but was persuaded by Nanny Fu.
The Queen's fetus is unstable now. If she gets angry because of the Queen Mother's scolding and has a miscarriage, it will bring disaster to her.
After weighing the pros and cons, the Queen Mother finally held back.
The main reason is that Ning Chen is not in the palace. These women have no target to fight for, and it seems difficult for them to have peace.
The weather was fine that day, and after hearing Luzhi say that the winter jasmine flowers in the imperial garden were in full bloom, Ye Jun suddenly felt like going out for a walk.
Nian Gao has grown into a big dog now, and was taken out to play today.
Ye Jun trimmed its hair herself, and the whole dog looks round and very cute.
There were not many people in the Imperial Garden, so they asked the servants to look around and then loosened the rope and let the dog run around on its own.
This was the first time that Nian Gao left Yuxiu Pavilion. He was curious about everything and kept wagging his tail and barking.
"It's rare to have such a quiet time. Take a closer look. The scenery in the Imperial Garden is quite nice." Ye Jun swayed slowly.
The elegant fragrance of forsythia floats in the fresh air, adding a touch of sweetness, making people feel relaxed and happy.
Bai Shu said, "If Concubine Jieyu likes them, why don't I pick two and put them in a vase? But the ones planted in our yard are about to bloom."
"Then don't pick them. There are too many flowers and plants, and the colors are messy, which is tacky." Ye Jun waved his hand.
The master and his servants strolled in the Imperial Garden for about half an hour. Nian Gao was tired and prepared to go back.
At this moment, another group of people came to the Imperial Garden, they were Concubine Wende.
Ye Jun didn't want to meet her, but Concubine Wende directly sent someone to invite her over, so she couldn't refuse.
After thinking for a moment, she asked Nan Zhi to take the dog back, and she took Huiyue and Bai Zhu to Concubine Wende.
"I pay my respects to the Majesty."
When you meet someone, greet them first.
Concubine Wende only brought two of her personal maids with her. She glanced at her calmly and said, "No thanks. Since we've met, just accompany me for a walk."
"Yes." Ye Jun replied in a low voice, without showing any displeasure.
Such a neither humble nor arrogant attitude made Concubine Wende turn around and look at her twice.
The two of them headed southwest, where there was a pavilion for resting, where they could sit down when they were tired.
"Ming Jieyu, do you know that flowers do not last forever?" Concubine Wende suddenly asked, "The flowers in this palace have shallow roots, and they will be blown crooked and damaged by the slightest wind and rain. Look at the vines growing around the trees, not only are they immune to wind and rain, but they are still blooming beautifully, don't you think?"
Although these words were spoken suddenly, the meaning was not difficult to understand. Ye Jun's eyes flashed and he spoke.
"Your Majesty, what you said makes sense, but I have always been a straight-forward person. I would rather be a flower that fades away in the wind and rain than a vine that clings to a tree."
Princess Wende obviously didn't expect her to reply like this. She paused and her face darkened.
"You have a lot of guts. When the day comes when I lose your favor, you will cry."
"It won't be too late to talk about tomorrow's matters tomorrow. I will drink as much as I can today, so there's no need for your Majesty to worry about me." Ye Jun said.
Although she didn't know why Concubine Wende suddenly wanted to win her over, there was one thing for sure: in this life, as long as others depended on her, she would never depend on others.
When Concubine Chen first entered the palace and was still ambitious, didn't she try to win her over at the instruction of the Empress Dowager? And today it's Concubine Wende again.
Too bad, she prefers to control others.
"Ye, do you really want to go against me? Don't refuse my toast and then drink the forfeit!" Concubine Wende said in a low voice.
He stopped and turned to stare at Ye Jun.
Today, she listened to the maid's advice and lowered herself to try to win Ye Jun over to work for her. She didn't expect to be rejected and was a little angry.
Facing her anger, Ye Jun remained calm as always, lowering her eyes and bowing, "I have never intended to go against the Majesty."
Such indifference made Concubine Wende feel as powerless as if she was punching cotton.
As much as she hated the way she was getting so angry, she hated Ye Jun's attitude even more.
She was unwilling to humble herself in the first place and now being rejected, Concubine Wende felt as if she had been slapped on the face, a burning pain.
My mood for visiting the garden was completely ruined in an instant.
She glared at Ye Jun fiercely and said, "You dare to talk back to me? Today, I will punish you by making you kneel here for an hour to apologize!"
"Your Highness is determined to punish me, so I have no choice. But I also ask Your Highness to remember what I did today. I have always been a vengeful person."
Ye Jun looked up and no longer avoided her gaze. Her sharp eyes made people feel cold.
Concubine Wende was also confident and showed no sign of weakness. She sneered, "I can wait for the day when you climb up!"
After he finished speaking, he took his people away, leaving Ye Jun and the servants kneeling in the imperial garden.