When the emperor saw Du Ke coming, he asked the princes to leave. Three princes were tested today, and they performed well, so the emperor was in a good mood: "Look at your expression, is there something good going on?"
Du Ke did not hide it: "It is indeed good news. It is good news for the emperor, the court, and the country of Qi."
The emperor was very curious when he heard Du Ke's arrogant tone: "Don't make me guess. I'm afraid I can't guess your good news."
Du Ke smiled and said, "Although this is good news, the emperor really couldn't have guessed that the news came from Yunxiang County."
Speaking of Yunxiang County, the emperor now has a very deep impression of Qin Fang. The silver seized by the Yunxiang County magistrate was used to fill the national treasury.
The emperor smiled and said, "Look at how happy you are. It seems that this is really good news. Well, don't keep us in suspense. Just tell us directly."
Du Ke said: "Qin Fang discovered two mines in Yunxiang County. Your Majesty, why don't you guess what mines they are?"
Emperor: “…” I told you not to keep us in suspense, why are you still doing it
Du Ke did not speak directly, but took out Qin Fang's memorial: "Qin Fang was afraid that this memorial would be seen by others, so he sent someone to deliver it to the capital. Your Majesty, please take a look."
oh
The emperor took the memorial, but did not rush to read it. Instead, he said, "Why is this memorial so thick? Not to mention that I have never seen such a thick memorial since I ascended the throne. Even when I was a prince, I have never seen such a thick memorial on my father's desk. Did Qin Fang write down all the trivial matters?"
Du Ke hurriedly said, "I am terrified. I don't know what he wrote in the memorial." He had indeed not read the memorial, but he had read the letter. His letter was so thick, and the memorial was so thick, so it was conceivable that the contents were the same. However, he didn't know whether the emperor's words were a test.
The emperor said again: "You must teach him well next time you have the chance, otherwise he will become a fifth-rank general and not even know how to write a memorial. If everyone's memorials are like this, how many memorials can I read in a day?"
Du Ke said: "Yes."
The imperial study was quiet, and the emperor began to read the memorial. Indeed, the content of the memorial was the same as the letter to Du Ke. Although the emperor disliked Qin Fang's memorial because it was too thick, he liked it when he saw the detailed content. As an emperor, of course he hoped that his subjects would tell him everything. What's more, Qin Fang's memorial overturned the emperor's perception of other memorials. Because... Qin Fang wrote in vernacular, which was completely different from the memorials written by those circuitous officials. Vernacular is easy to understand.
When the emperor saw the military camp manor time mentioned by Qin Fang, he raised his eyebrows, but did not speak. When he saw the sulfur mine and saltpeter mine, he stood up suddenly, and then he met Du Ke's eyes: "This is indeed good news. If, as Qin Fang said, we have sulfur mines and saltpeter mines, our country can make big firecrackers, then God bless my country, God bless me." As an emperor, no matter how he got the throne, he really wanted to be remembered for generations. Moreover, the emperor himself is a wise ruler, and he is naturally happy about things that are good for the country.
Du Ke immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty is the true dragon emperor. With such a big firecracker, why should you worry about not being able to rule the world?"
The emperor was a little flattered by this praise, but he was still thinking: "This big firecracker has an ugly name. If we can make something that is two or a hundred times more powerful than a firecracker, what would it be called?" The emperor thought of the power of the firecracker exploding in the air. If it was two or a hundred times more powerful... then the small flame of the firecracker would become a big flame. The flame and fire looked so powerful that it was terrifying.
Du Ke: "I am not talented enough to come up with that name."
Emperor: "Sulfur and saltpeter are also medicines. The sulfur and saltpeter mines discovered by King Liang are also medicine mines. Firecrackers made of medicine can produce such a powerful flame. How about calling it Huoyao?"
Fire medicine? Du Ke thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, this title is really good. A medicine with strong firepower, fire medicine, is very consistent with the medicinal properties and power of this medicine."
The emperor himself also felt that it was appropriate: "Qin Fang first suppressed bandits and arrested corrupt officials, and now he has found sulfur and saltpeter mines. Moreover, I also feel that his policy on military camp land is very beneficial to the court and the military camps. If each military camp can purchase land locally, then the soldiers will not have a shortage of food, and food will no longer be a problem during wars."
Du Ke said: "I also think so. The issue of the military camp land can be discussed as appropriate. However, the military camp land was the idea of Mrs. Qin. Although she is a woman, she can consider these things for her husband while taking care of her husband and children at home. It can be seen that Mrs. Qin is also a virtuous woman. According to Qin Fang, when he went to suppress the bandits, many of the more than 3,000 people were infected with the disease, but everyone was unwilling to move out of the tent and refused to be isolated. It was also Mrs. Qin who convinced them by personally delivering food to them.
Those people were afraid that they would die after being isolated, but Mrs. Qin told them that the disease would not be fatal as long as they were treated well and took medicine in cooperation with the doctor. She personally delivered three meals a day to the door of the isolated tent, and those people believed her. Such a woman is really courageous. "
The emperor was also a little surprised: "Oh? Whose daughter is this Mrs. Qin? According to Qin Fang's status, he was not a general at the time, so his wife should be the daughter of an ordinary citizen, right?"
This... Du Ke said: "The fate of Madam Qin and Qin Fang was brought together by Your Majesty. It was Your Majesty who tied the knot, so it is perfect."
The emperor found this interesting: "What do you mean? How come I don't know?"
Du Ke explained: "Mrs. Qin was originally a maid of the Yang family. When you ascended the throne in August of the year before last, you released all the maids of the guilty ministers who were not involved in the incident into slavery and gave them to the soldiers at the border. Do you remember?" They all knew what the relevant incident was, but they just didn't say it out loud.
The crime is not committed by the slaves, this is the most humane law of Qi State. As long as the slaves do not participate in the crime of the master, the master can release the slaves after the crime.
The emperor did not hate the Yang family, but they just had different standpoints. So when he heard that Yang Haiyan was originally a maid of the Yang family, he had no other thoughts. "I do remember." After he ascended the throne, the first batch of criminals he dealt with were Yang Taifu and his relatives, so Yang Haiyan and other maids were the first batch of slaves he released and the first batch of marriages he granted.
Du Ke said: "Mrs. Qin was originally the head maidservant of the eldest daughter of the Yang family."
The emperor had a deep impression of the eldest daughter of the Yang family: "One of the two pearls in the capital was Miss Yang, what a pity..." What a pity? They all knew. "The people around the two pearls in the capital are naturally different from ordinary maids, virtuous and kind, and the young ladies of the rich families are no more than that."
Du Ke thought, with the emperor's praise, who could still say that Mrs. Qin was once a maid
The emperor said again: "Mrs. Qin's military camp land is a great contribution to the court. What should you reward her for?" In fact, he would rather reward Mrs. Qin than Qin Fang. If Mrs. Qin is rewarded, Qin Fang's contribution can be put aside. After all, Qin Fang was promoted to the fifth rank of Wude General this year. Although the sulfur mine and saltpeter mine were great contributions, Qin Fang's promotion now was too fast.
Du Ke said, "This is embarrassing for me, but I have an idea. Qin Fang's mother and grandmother have not received an imperial decree. He joined the army on behalf of his father, which shows his filial piety. If I can get an imperial decree for Qin Fang's grandmother and mother, Qin Fang will be very happy." As the emperor's confidant, Du Ke knew what the emperor was thinking. Moreover, Qin Fang could indeed be promoted because of his contributions to the sulfur and saltpeter mines, but he had just been promoted in March this year, so it was not appropriate to be promoted again at this time. In this way, it would be appropriate to give this credit to his mother and grandmother.
The emperor was very satisfied with Du Ke's words: "My dear Du, what you said is true. Filial piety is the most important virtue. I will confer titles on Qin Fang's mother and grandmother. As for Qin Fang's wife, she has made great contributions in providing food for the soldiers. She will be awarded 200 taels of gold and a jade ruyi..."
Du Ke: "On behalf of Qin Fang, I would like to thank you for your grace."
Emperor: "Let's stop here and talk about business. Regarding the sulfur mines and saltpeter mines, who do you think would be more appropriate to send?" The emperor looked at Du Ke, as if he wanted Du Ke to go.
If it were normal, Du Ke would have no problem going there, after all, it would be related to the matter of the fire medicine, but he has been busy recently. However, "Your Majesty, if we send people to Yunxiang County, it will be impossible to transport sulfur and saltpeter, so the fire medicine should still be made in Yunxiang County. In this case, it is better to let Qin Fang take full charge of this matter and send people from the Ministry of Works to go there."
The emperor listened and said: "I really need to think about this again."
Du Ke bowed and said, "Then I will take my leave first."
The emperor waved.
Du Ke came out of the imperial study and took a deep breath. Although Qin Fang's contribution was suppressed, he still left his name in front of the emperor. Sometimes, it is useless to have too much contribution. It is better to leave an impression on the emperor.
When Du Ke left the palace, he saw the guards of the Du Mansion waiting at the gate of the palace. This guard... Du Ke's eyelids jumped. The guard also saw Du Ke: "Sir. Sir, General Qin sent someone to deliver a second letter."
Du Ke: "..." Is this not enough to let people rest? After only half a day of rushing, the second letter came. However, the fact that two letters were sent consecutively shows that the matter in the second letter is also very important. Du Ke got on the carriage: "Go back home."
Du Ke was in the mansion for only a few minutes, and in the blink of an eye, he went to the palace again. Du Ke's two consecutive visits to the palace attracted the attention of many people. Everyone asked if something had happened, otherwise why did Du Ke go to the palace twice in a row