Huan Rong

Qin Jue went to the battlefield at the age of 16, killing enemies and beheading generals, and charging into battle.No matter what kind of strong army you encounter, you will lead your troops forward without blinking.

Facing Princess Nankang today, my scalp felt inexplicably tight, and I felt nervous subconsciously.Turning his eyes to Mrs. Li, he would blush uncontrollably.

This pain is really indescribable.

"I have read the letter from your kin." Princess Nankang cut straight to the point, "How many spices are mentioned in the letter, does the unknown gentleman know?"

Qin Jue clenched his fingers, collected himself, recalled the letter written by Empress Liu to him, and replied: "My mother didn't say much, she just told me that no matter what decision Her Majesty the Empress Dowager makes, you must wait until the letter is answered."

This answer is expected.

Princess Nankang and Mrs. Li looked at each other, changed the subject a few words, and said: "Last year, both the north and the south were hit by catastrophes, and the grain harvest was poor or even complete. How about spring plowing this year?"

Qin Jue frowned, and took it over in a few words, not intending to say more about it.

In the final analysis, the covenant between the two parties is only temporary, and it is hard to say what will happen in the future.

Food is the foundation of the people, and the people are the foundation of the country. I don't know the true meaning of Princess Nankang, so I must not easily express it.

Qin Jue deliberately avoided it, but Princess Nankang didn't pursue it, and instead mentioned the scenery and customs of the Northland.

Before the blink of an eye, more than half an hour passed, Qin Jue left the Changle Palace, still led by the eunuch before, and returned to Yuancheng where he lived temporarily.

Passing through a courtyard surrounded by high walls and guarded by soldiers day and night, Qin Jue stopped when he heard the sound of tigers roaring, while the eunuch was not surprised and said with a smile: "This is the tiger's house, and the gentleman lives in Yuancheng." , I must have heard of it a long time ago."

Qin Jue didn't speak, and looked at Hufang silently, with a hint of inexplicable flashing across his expression.When the eunuch thought he would ask, he didn't say anything and continued to move forward.

After he left, Mrs. Li shook her silk fan lightly and said with a smile, "That's right."

This is true, referring to Qin Jue, or it may be referring to something else, only Heaven knows and Earth knows Princess Nankang knows.

"My sister thinks it's good?" Princess Nankang drank half a cup of tea soup, put down the lacquer cup, and ordered the eunuchs and maidservants to retreat.

"It's really good." Mrs. Li said softly, looking at Princess Nankang, the topic changed suddenly, "I do still have those spices, but I can't give them to you."

"Why?"

"Sister, why bother to ask questions knowingly." Mrs. Li shook her head, "Empress Liu's original intentions have never been met, so it's really hard to guess. If Qin Ce dies at this time, more than [-]% of the Qin brothers will be Qin Silang ascending the throne."

Princess Nankang put away her relaxed expression, and her expression became dignified.

"The news came back from Chang'an that Qin Ce, the first hero, became confused after he ascended the throne. He did several wrong things, which made father and son divorced, and husband and wife turned against each other." Mrs. Li continued.

"One day in his reign, Chang'an will not be able to work together."

"Furthermore, each of his sons holds military power and guards one side. Once Qin Ce dies violently, he will either raise his troops and repeat the Yongjia Rebellion, or the brothers will unite and form a single rope."

At this point, Mrs. Li paused, and said word by word: "If it is the former, there will be chaos in the north, and the disaster of the Hu people may repeat itself. If it is the latter, it will not be easy for the officials to take Chang'an again."

Mrs. Li has another layer of worries.

If Qin Ce died on spices, even if it was only indirectly, then Chang An would use him to accuse Huan Han of harboring evil intentions and assassinate Emperor Qin.

During the war, the Qin Clan attacked south in the name of revenge, even if it was not a mourning soldier, it was for righteousness, which was really not good for Huan Rong.

"This matter needs to be cautious." Princess Nankang patted Mrs. Li's hand and said in a deep voice, "I will write back to Empress Liu and decline this matter."

"That's not necessary." Mrs. Li smiled slightly, and slid her fingertips across Princess Nankang's palm, "The previous spices are not given, and you can replace them with others."

"Other?" Princess Nankang was surprised.

"It can still be refreshing, but it won't have the effect of boosting the mood." Mrs. Li said with a smile, "Emperor Qin is in the year of hearing, and his energy is low. Using some refreshing incense will really help."

Spices are refreshing, and they will also drain your energy.It's just that the effect is slow, not as significant as before, and it won't refresh Qin Ce, giving him the illusion of being 20 years younger.

After deliberating for a moment, Princess Nankang nodded.

"feasible."

"When my sister wrote the letter, it can be said that the materials for making incense were hard to come by."

In fact, this statement is not fabricated.

The spice Empress Liu wanted contains ambergris, which can be found in the sea.This thing was once referred to as dragon saliva by the alchemists of the former dynasty. It flowed out when the dragon was sleeping and solidified in the sea, so it got its name.

Huan Yi actually found the incense used by Mrs. Li at sea.

According to the old boatman, this is the first time he has encountered this thing after fishing for 20 years.

"We need to tell the officials about this." Mrs. Li said again, "The officials and Shiro Qin have a great friendship, so they should know a thing or two."

"En." Princess Nankang nodded, thinking about the relationship between Huan Rong and Qin Jing, she couldn't help but think of the Luanfeng hairpin again, and couldn't help but sigh deeply.

"Sister?"

"It's rare for Gua'er to get what he wants, but why..."

"Sister, the official family is a dragon hidden in the world, and the roc that is about to spread its wings will rise up on the wind sooner or later, overlooking the Kyushu of China, and unifying the world."

When Mrs. Li spoke, she firmly held Princess Nankang's hand.

"Children's love is not too much, but if you think that the character of the official is acting, when the day comes, you will definitely put the country first."

"I know." Princess Nankang closed her eyes, frowning tightly, and did not relax for a long time.

It was precisely because she knew that she would sigh and express that it was rare for Huan Rong to be satisfied.

"Fine." After a long time, Princess Nankang shook her head, "My son's ambition is to be the Emperor of Qin and Han, not the overlord of Western Chu who was defeated by Gaixia."

Xiang Yu rebelled against Qin with his uncle and defeated the Qin army in Julu. He became a hero and became famous all over the world.

After the death of Qin Dynasty, the capital was made Pengcheng, and he was called the Overlord of Western Chu.

It is embarrassing that such a hero was finally defeated by the Han army.

Thinking of Xiang Yu and thinking of Pengcheng, Princess Nankang suddenly felt that everything may have been predetermined in the dark.

"What is sister thinking?"

"It's nothing." Princess Nankang shook her head, suppressing the sudden thoughts, "After writing the letter, I will tell Gua'er about it."

Mrs. Li nodded, and called the servant girl who was waiting outside the palace, and ordered her to fetch the box containing the spices.

"Several flavors are suitable, sister may as well choose together."

When she spoke, Mrs. Li was smiling, repeating her tenderness in the past, and she was serious before seeing her again.

Taiyuan five years, July

Carrying the letter from Princess Nankang and Huan Rong, Qin Jue set off for Pengcheng.

Before leaving, there was news from Youzhou that the horses, cattle and sheep had been delivered, they had been counted, and gold, silver and sea salt were paid at market prices, as well as some silk cloth and sugar.After being transported back to Xihai County, it will be taken to the grassland and desert by the caravan.

In the fourth year of Taiyuan, the southern land suffered from floods and the grain harvest failed.Even with supplements from the Western Regions and maritime trade, it is impossible to pay a large amount of grain.

Huan Rong wrote to Qin Jing and discussed in the letter, and replaced it with gold, silver, sea salt, sugar and silk cloth.

The two parties reached a new agreement, and the business went smoothly.

However, it is still unknown how the situation will change after this time, whether Changan and Jiankang will tear up the contract and start a war suddenly.

Qin Jing is far away in the grassland, while Huan Rong is in the south, even if there are birds and birds passing the message, the news will still be blocked.

If something happened, how would Qin Jing choose?

Huan Rong knew the answer a long time ago, and Qin Jing's character is expected to make this answer easy to change.Thinking of the ten-year agreement, it is inevitable to smile bitterly.

In the blink of an eye, three years have passed, and the agreed date is getting closer.Emotionally, time flies too fast.In terms of his established goals and the hegemony he wants to achieve, it is unavoidable that it is a bit too slow.

Taiyuan five years, August

When Qin Jue arrived in Pengcheng, he didn't wait to rest, and immediately dispatched people to send letters to Chang'an and Xihai respectively.

The team to Chang'an set off quickly without any delay.Another team went northward along the land route, transporting a large amount of goods, but the speed was much slower.

To save Qin Jing and Qin Ju from worrying, Qin Jue wrote a text message and let the two golden eagles fly.

The raptor passed through the clouds and soon disappeared into the sky.

Qin Jue stood on the top of the wall, thinking about what Jiankang had seen.

Comparing everything in Chang'an, there is an inexplicable sense of anxiety, mixed with a little bit of worry.

In the same month, there was a severe drought in Bingzhou, a plague of locusts, and no grain harvest.

Locusts are all over the sky, spreading in Bingzhou.

Xihe County, Taiyuan County and Pingyang County all suffered disasters.Coupled with the drought and no rain, the waterways dried up, and the dead bodies could not be buried in time. The disaster continued to worsen, and a disease was born.

In just a few months, he was starving for thousands of miles.

Chang'an received an urgent report, Qin Ce made a decisive decision, opened the treasury again, and ordered Chang'an doctors to go to Bingzhou with the army to prevent the epidemic.

Hungry people are begging everywhere, and the disease is difficult to cure.It is really a drop in the bucket for doctors to boil medicine for diagnosis and treatment.

In the end, in order to control the further expansion of the epidemic, the imperial court decreed that all villages with infected people would be sealed off and no one would be allowed to enter or leave, and those who violated the rules would be executed immediately.All the old and young in the village, no matter whether they are sick or not, are not allowed to leave half a step.

Soldiers quickly erected a fence to separate the two worlds.

There is still hope of life outside the fence, and those inside the fence can only wait for death.

There were endless cries within the fence.

Terrible, tragic.

From the initial hoarseness, to the begging in the middle, to the weakness and hoarseness later, in the village of nearly a hundred people, there was no one left in the end.

After the cries disappeared, the fence was not dismantled, but with the help of drought and hot wind, the fire was set directly along the fence.

Torches were constantly being thrown in, red tongues of flames were constantly rising, and the burnt smell was pungent.

The peaceful village in the past is now a dead place.

The fence was reduced to flying ash, and the earth was reduced to scorched earth.

Through the bright firelight, rows of houses and corpses lying in front of the houses can be seen faintly.

There is a mother holding a child in her arms, as if using her body to build the last barrier, and at the last moment of her life, she uses everything she has to protect her child.

The fire was blazing, and the flames were soaring into the sky.

Thick black smoke was transpiring, covering the village, and did not dissipate for a long time.

There are no crows or vultures in the sky, as if these birds also know what tragedy is happening in the scorched earth below.

The fire burned for a day and a night, and finally went out in the early morning of the next day.

All the corpses in the house were turned into scorched earth, and there was a constant stream of smoke, most of which were sparks hidden under the ruins, which ignited in the wind.

Soldiers had to cover their faces with cloth towels when cleaning up and burying with soil.

The doctor stood by the ruins, carrying an empty medicine box, with disheveled temple hair, a haggard look, and bloodshot eyes, as if he had aged ten years overnight.

"Heaven and earth are not benevolent, and treat everything as a straw dog. In this world, how can there be a happy land, and who can really survive..."

"Master, Captain Liu is calling." A boy supported the doctor with a worried look on his face, "Master hasn't closed his eyes for two nights, what should we do if this continues?"

The doctor shook his head, sighed, patted his apprentice on the shoulder, and said hoarsely: "Remember everything today, and remember that I am practicing medicine to save people's lives. I am not good at medicine, and I can't save these innocent villagers. Don't imitate me. Don't learn from me."

The doctor muttered, his eyes were red.

"This is not saving people, what is saving people!"

However, what if you don't?

If the affected villages are not sealed and the villagers are allowed to flow out, more villages will be affected.By then, not only Bingzhou will be hungry for thousands of miles.

Although he has laws to prevent it, he cannot eradicate it.

In the end, they could only watch the people trapped, and finally died of hunger and disease, and their bodies were burned in the sea of ​​fire.

"Oh my god!"

The doctor staggered a few steps, and finally fell to the ground, crying bitterly.

Seeing this scene, the soldiers around stopped their movements at the same time, and stood there blankly, not moving for a long time.Some people look up to the sky with empty eyes.In the desolate land, it seems to have become a wood sculpture and clay sculpture.

"Mr. Zhao, it's time to leave." Captain Liu walked up to the doctor, holding the handle of the knife with one hand, so hard that the veins on the back of his hand popped out, "It's time to go."

The doctor was motionless, still weeping bitterly.

The boy raised his head, his eyes were full of tears, and he was about to speak boldly, but he suddenly found that Captain Liu's lips were white, his eyes were red, without a single tear, but it seemed that he was in extreme pain, as if he was about to bleed from the bottom of his eyes Come.

September and October, migratory locusts in the north.

Qin Yu and Qin Yu successively sent food and medicinal materials to Bingzhou, hoping to postpone the disaster.

Qin Jing paused the pace of attack, rectified Shuofang City, moved the families of the cavalry to Monan, and called the border people to reclaim wasteland.The border residents who were frightened by the locust plague in Bingzhou no longer hesitated, packed up their burdens one after another, and dragged their families to Shuofang.

Qin Jing wrote a letter in his own hand, and sent his horse to fly to Chang'an.

Qin Ce received the letter and sat alone in the Guangming Temple until the early morning, without sleep all night.The next day at the court meeting, the edict was issued: "Last year there was a drought, this year the locusts are migrating, the year's grain will not be climbed, the palace will suspend banquets and music, and everything will be kept simple.

The supply of the clan, and the power of the hundred officials and the salary can be halved.

Exemption from Bingzhou grain tax, one should be labor labor for miscellaneous expenses, and all non-military affairs are exempted. "

The decree was promulgated in the court and distributed to the people, and the common people all called the emperor benevolent, and the words of using natural disasters to point out that the emperor was innocent were almost extinct.

Compared with the poor harvest in the north, the weather in the south is rare, and the imperial court issued improved seeds, equipped with improved tools and cattle, and ushered in the ripening of rice.

Based on the reports from all over the country, [-] shi per mu in the upper field and [-] shi in the lower field.In some counties and counties of Yangzhou in Youzhou, the upper field can receive a hundred stones, and the lower field can also receive fifty stones.

This kind of grain output is naturally incomparable with the output of hundreds or even thousands of catties per mu in later generations.However, in the years of constant natural disasters and man-made disasters, it is really a rare happy event.

From the imperial court down to the common people, there was joy.

Happily, the three provinces came to the table and asked the emperor to sacrifice to the suburbs.

Seeing this letter, Huan Rong couldn't help but feel his teeth ache and his calves felt a little weak when he recalled the last time he sacrificed to the suburbs.