When the report came on the seventh day of the month, Zhuge Yue was in the study, and Chu Qiao happened to be there too. She never asked about Zhuge Yue's affairs, but when she met him occasionally, Zhuge Yue never carried her back. Therefore, she heard all kinds of words of criticism thrown at him by the officials on this matter, and heard the insults and complaints against Zhuge Yue from the people outside Yaoguan.
Yue Qi reported on the ground with a dark face. Those people scolded him for being greedy for ink and food for disaster relief, for being a black-hearted dog official who sucked blood, for harming the people, and for being a wolf-hearted dog who would surely kill off his children and grandchildren.
He just listened like that all the time, without any other expression on his face, but when Yue Qi didn't want to say any more, he signaled him not to hide anything with his eyes.
After Yue Qi left, she never dared to come over. That afternoon the sun was so cold, it quietly sprinkled on his thinning face, he sat in the chair, drinking tea quietly, as if nothing just happened. Chu Qiao saw water gradually oozing from the base of the white jade teacup. Even though he held it in his hand, a crack obviously spread across the cup wall.
Yes, they are going to die, they are starving, natural disasters and man-made disasters are coming one after another, the people have no way to survive, and the government is still greedy and collecting money, they should be scolded. However, they didn't know that the imperial court had already acquiesced in this matter, and no one would pay attention to the exploitation of officials from all over the country, and all disaster reports were forcibly suppressed. The answer given by Zhong Shuling is that all chores cannot be played until after the Spring Banquet.
And every porridge and meal they eat now is raised by Zhuge Yue by selling his properties in various places. He is so proud that he even wants to put down his body to win over those merchants in the capital and ask them to join hands. Help the people get through this famine.
He was too tired, so tired that he couldn't get any more tired, that's why he drank wildly and yelled at the dinner table that the emperor was stupid, the court was immoral, and that Zhao Yang was a two hundred and five, threatening to chop off his head tonight.
He was really drunk, very drunk.
That night, Chu Qiao personally sent the half-drunk Zhao Che out of the house. However, as soon as he walked out of the gate, the Seventh Prince, who was staggering on his feet, straightened up immediately, without any trace of drunkenness in his eyes, and said to her very soberly: "Go back and take good care of him."
Chu Qiao looked at him and stood quietly without saying a word.
Zhao Che looked a little cold, and said lightly: "The situation is already like this, and there is nothing I can do. If this continues, it will be against the entire upper clan of Great Xia. We don't have the strength yet."
Zhao Che's tone was low, without the slightest wave on his face.
Chu Qiao stopped looking at him and turned to leave when Zhao Che suddenly called her name behind her back. When she turned around, she saw him saying to her seriously: "The fourth brother is a good man, don't let him down."
Chu Qiao's eyes gradually narrowed into a line, and a few waves of light flashed faintly, like a sharp sword. She opened her mouth quietly, and said softly, "You too."
She spoke so vaguely.
You too, what is it? You are also a good person
No, Zhao Che understood what she was saying very well, but she didn't wait for his answer, and turned back, her figure was thin, and she looked as light as a wisp of wind could blow away.
He's a good guy, don't let him down.
The sky was pitch black, the sky was full of sparks, and the wind was blowing from afar. He breathed deeply, and he could even smell the hunger coming from the west.
When Chu Qiao returned to the room, the food and drink had already been removed, and Zhuge Yue, who was drunk on the bed, had disappeared. She walked all the way to the study room, opened the door, and saw him sitting behind the desk with clear eyes, leaning over the desk, writing vigorously.
She stood silently for a long time. Seeing that he had finished writing and sealed the sealant, she walked over slowly, squatted in front of him, took one of his hands, and then quietly fell on his lap, but did not care. say.
The candles in the room were silently burning, and from time to time a trace of candle flames burst out and crackled. The aroma in the incense burner curled up and gathered into a thin stream of smoke. His hands were dry and long, gently brushing her long hair.
"Xing'er." He called her name in a low voice, his voice was full of tiredness and hard work, but he only called out once, and there was no more words.
Her cheek was pressed against his leg, and her nostrils were filled with the smell of him. Her voice echoed slowly through the room like layers of gentle ocean waves, and she whispered, "I understand it all."
His knees trembled slightly, and then he held her hand even tighter.
Yes, she understands it all. Understand his hard work, understand his fatigue, understand his disappointment with this country, understand his deep disgust for everything around him.
The emperor was in a daze, the princes were fighting for his successor, officials in the government and the public were corrupt and incompetent, and all institutions of the empire were tending to decay and paralysis. Having experienced the hardships of war, and witnessed the hard work of the people at the bottom, how can he, who has come back from the wild and remote areas, see the rottenness of this country and the ugly faces of officials
However, he was still a part of the battle for succession, but he still had the naive idea that Zhao Che would overthrow everything when he came to power. But now, before seizing everything, they have to go through such a cold winter. He didn't even know what was left in this world after they stood on top of bones and defeated all enemies.
Civilization was destroyed, people were massacred, the army was strangled, and the country was destroyed. The rest, maybe only them, faced with this smoldering and devastated land, let thousands of lives be buried for this battle.
What is power? After the battle, they have to destroy everything. Can they afford the price
"Xing'er, I'm really not a good person." That night, at the moment of dawn, he said softly like this.
The next five days were extremely dark days that shocked the entire Great Xia and even the entire Simon.
The refugees outside the Three Gates finally rioted. They captured the houses of the big Western clans and grabbed food and money. Because of hunger, they begged, begging failed, they stole, stealing failed, they robbed, robbing failed, they finally rebelled.
Officials forced the people to rebel, and the people had to rebel.
Hundreds of thousands of unarmed civilians took wood and stones and smashed open the doors of the big households. Dark beacon fires ignited on the thick soil of Longxi. Countless people died in this chaos. The officers and soldiers in Longxi seemed to be The paper is as fragile as a piece of wheat in front of the victims. Although they repeatedly reported that the militia forces were extremely strong, and that there were high-ranking people to direct them around, no one believed them, and they all took these as their excuses and sophistry.
The local officials and clans who presented the Wanmin Umbrella just now were stunned, and they all went up to play, but how dare the officials of the imperial capital speak up at this time and go up to the court? They had no choice but to secretly dispatch troops to the local area to quell the chaos.
However, Zhuge Yue, the chief minister of the Ministry of War, asked back: "The empire is peaceful all over the world, and the people in the Longxi region have just donated the umbrella of the merits of the people. How could they rebel? It's a big joke in the world."
As a result, the dispatch of troops was delayed again and again, and the battle in Longxi became more and more urgent. On December 24th, a fast horse galloped into the capital, and the soldiers on the horse were covered in blood, holding the report of Cao Weichi, the governor of Longxi, and poured blood from their mouths on the Ronghua Imperial Road.
Zhenhuang City was shocked, and the emperor was so angry that he got a headache on the spot, scolded Zhongshuling and all officials, and immediately deprived Zhao Yang of the title of Southwest Marquis. But Zhao Che didn't get any benefit from this turmoil. Instead, the seventeenth prince Zhao Yi, who had always been quiet, took the military power in the Southwest and went out of Beijing to quell the chaos. And Zhuge Yue, because he did not dispatch troops in time to quell the chaos, was punished by the emperor to think about his mistakes at home. Zhao Che went to the palace to intercede for him several times, but was repelled by the emperor.
But Chu Qiao knew the reason for the turmoil. When Zhao Che arrived at the mansion, seeing Zhuge Yue, he was furious and called him a lunatic. But Zhuge Yue smiled, and said to him with his arms crossed, I want to leave some capital for your future ascension to the throne. If they all die, who will you, the emperor, lead
A civil unrest in the Longxi region resulted in countless deaths and injuries, seven or eight out of ten of the Dahu clan were destroyed, and nearly 80,000 people died in the war. But just as Zhuge Yue said, if you go against it, you will die 80,000 people, but if you don't go against it, you will die millions. This deal is really worth it.
Yes, well worth it. The Southwest Clan was completely destroyed, the power of Young Lord Mu in Lingnan was greatly damaged, and King Ling was also affected. Zhao Yang was reprimanded by the emperor and cut off his military power. Although Zhao Che had no merits, he had no faults either. Only he, Zhuge Yue, was grounded, fined and paid to contemplate his mistakes behind closed doors, and temporarily withdrew from the Daxia political arena.
Everything seems to be going step by step according to his established procedures, but Chu Qiao clearly remembers that in those few days, whenever he heard that the people were massacred, where the decent and wealthy families were massacred, and where the entire army of defenders When the news of the collapse of the people there, where the people fell into grass and became violent, how he couldn't sleep at night, how worried he was.
If there was a slight deviation in everything that day, if the troops he secretly sent could not restrain the rioters, successfully evade the local defenders, and fail to launch some soldiers' rebellion, then the result would be a bloody mess, and the entire Southwest would be destroyed. Into the boundless flames of war, the consequences would be disastrous.
They're all right, he really is a crazy guy.
She was worried that he would be discouraged and dejected because of being deprived of power, but he was comforting her that he could finally spend a year with her.
The Spring Banquet finally arrived. The Sima Mansion of the Ministry of War, which used to be dominated by the government and the public, was left in the cold, but there were rare laughter and laughter inside.
Although news of the war in the Southwest still spread into the capital, it did not affect the excitement and prosperity of the imperial capital on the day of the Spring Banquet. The streets and alleys were full of voices, and the government organized wealthy businessmen to set off fireworks in the Ziwei Square. The laughter of children penetrated through the many doors and walls, blowing in with the gentle wind, and entering this fortified and towering mansion.
From three days ago, Zhuge Yue ordered a new round of decorations in the mansion. Red lanterns are hung high along the doorway of the corridor. The windows are brightly decorated with red flowers, and the careful and dexterous maids cut out various patterns, including the East China Sea birthday star, the Xiling birthday deer, the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, the Son-giving Guanyin, and the picture of a thousand blessings that took a lot of effort. Pots of flowers were laid out, colorful and luxurious, and the servants all changed into new clothes, red and pink, full of joy.
Zhuge Yue also resumed the way of life and rest in Qingshanyuan many years ago. He has always been a very self-disciplined person, and he doesn't have the habit of flying around like a kid from a rich family. Now that I am free, my life is even more leisurely. I take good care of my body, read and plant flowers in my free time, and I am forced by Chu Qiao to get up every morning to exercise. The servants of Manfu watched secretly. Seeing that Zhuge Yue didn't respond for a long time, one by one plucked up their courage. Occasionally, they would applaud when they saw something exciting.
The days have become more and more peaceful and smooth, like the center of a storm, so quiet that it makes people panic.
The New Year is approaching quietly in such an atmosphere. Chu Qiao put on new clothes. The bright red color was so bright that it made people's face look like the morning glow in spring, as if overflowing with endless joy and hope. Standing behind her, Zhuge Yue was dressed in a smoky blue gown, handsome and handsome, casually picked up a pearl gold hairpin, skillfully tied up her hair full of black hair, and inserted it between her temples.
Chu Qiao looked at herself in the mirror, and was in a daze for a while. She seemed to have never seen such a self. From a very young age, she has always stubbornly felt that it is extremely vulgar for women to wear red and green. Later, due to years of traveling, she lost the spirit of dressing up. But when she put it on today, she felt that there were layers of waves of warmth coming in. Her cheeks were as bright as spring peaches, as if they were autumn waters, and even the corners of her eyebrows and mouth were full of joy and warmth that could not be concealed.