To Rule in a Turbulent World

You Miao said: "What can this do!"

Qiao Jue said: "Our tea is worth one tael of tea leaves and one tael of silver. Do the math yourself? It's 150 taels of silver. Tea is a thing that is expensive but not expensive. Rare things are more expensive. Let those high-ranking officials Taste it, after you taste it, you won’t feel the same taste when you drink other teas, so that’s it.”

You Miao took a sip of the oolong, but the fragrance was really fragrant, with a little bit of astringency in the mellowness. After tasting, the astringency of the tea should be the faint astringency of green tea that has just been received in the warehouse and has not been aged for a long time. , in a few months, the taste will become more mellow.

Another year passed, and in the 35th year of Qingshuo, You Miao spent a sum of money to build two suspension bridges for the north and south of Jiangbo Mountain Villa. A wealthy little landowner.

Naturally, it is unavoidable to ask Sun Yu for advice on the first and fifteenth day of each month. As time went by, You Miaofang gradually learned that Sun Yu is not an easy person. His temper is also very surly. Sometimes You Miao is lazy and doesn't go to study for three or nine days, and Sun Yu will punish him to kneel in the courtyard for three hours, from after lunch until the sun goes down.

Under the guidance of Sun Yu, You Miao read a lot of books, not only Confucianism, but also interpreted by history. Facing the vast collection of books of the Sun family, You Miao sighed that he might not be able to finish reading in his lifetime.

However, every time I read a book, I learn more thoroughly than when I was in the capital.

In the two years, Zhao Chao only sent letters five times, all talking about the battle situation. Obviously, marching in the wind and snow was very hard. It was not until the spring of Qingshuo 36 that the court finally ushered in its first disastrous defeat.

In the winter of the previous year, the Northern Wuhu invaded frequently, so Emperor Tianqi had to assign Nie Dan to guard Hebei.10 people were taken away, and another [-] soldiers were added to Zhao Chao, but they were all recruits.

In the spring, the King of Koryo personally went to battle. The 20 Tianqi Army and the [-] Koryo Army were at a stalemate on the battlefield. Food and grass were in short supply. The imperial court ordered the confiscation of food from Liuzhou, Suzhou, Jiaozhou, and Yangzhou in the south of the Yangtze River to support the front line.The prefects of the four prefectures all encountered difficulties at the same time. To complete the collection of the central government, it is tantamount to letting the landlords sell their grain at a low price.

After reading the letter, Sun Yu didn't speak for a long time, and at the end, he let out a long sigh.

You Miao said: "Sir, no one in Jiangnan is willing to pay for food now, what should we do?"

Sun Yu looked at You Miao meaningfully, and said after a while: "You want to take the lead in donating food?"

You Miao said: "What are you talking about taking the lead? My friend is on the front line. Isn't war a matter for the whole country?"

Sun Yu said: "If you are interested in an official career, you will know that the Three Princes will not stand alone, but if His Majesty cares about this son at all, he will definitely not have the idea of ​​​​sending him to the front line."

You Miao said: "But the fight is all about the country! Sir!"

Compared with two years ago, You Miao is a different person. He has learned more about current politics and the affairs of the court. After being taught by Sun Yu, he has a better understanding of many things. He knows that the current court is full of hope that Zhao Chao will lose .

Once Zhao Chao loses, he can negotiate a peace when he returns to the capital, and this third prince will never recover again.If the emperor had the intention of letting Zhao Chao go to make contributions and improve his ability in the school, in such a situation, Zhao Chao returned from defeat, so he had to be honest and behave like a man with his tail between his legs, and he had no right to compete with the prince for a day.

"From your own point of view." Sun Yu said: "How to do it, and how to do it from the perspective of your family and country, you should understand after teaching you these two years."

You Miao nodded silently, he understood everything, and he also knew that Sun Yu also agreed to donate food from the bottom of his heart. A man should put his family and country first, and man after him.Sun Yu was also a hard-headed person back then, so he lost his post as a Beijing official and was demoted to Liuzhou as a powerless official.

When You Miao went back that day, he donated [-] catties of grain. As soon as the news spread, there was a lot of discussion among the big households in Liuzhou.

In the end, the four states managed to scrape together 50 catties of grain and send it to Beijing.

But Zhao Chao's battle situation still has not progressed. You Miao wrote back to him, but there was no mention of food requisition, only Sun Yu's analysis of the battle situation.In the spring of another year, I heard from Sun Yu that the imperial envoy from the imperial court mentioned that Zhao Chao had lost.

Zhao Chao suffered a crushing defeat, insufficient food and pay, soldiers mutinied, and was suddenly attacked by the King of Korea, losing nearly half of the 20 soldiers and horses.The lost soldiers will flee back to the pass. Prime Minister Li is getting old. Li Yan went out to the frontier fortress on behalf of his father to negotiate peace with the King of Koryo.

When You Miao heard the news in the hall, she couldn't stop shaking immediately, as if her whole body was numb, grief, resentment, all kinds of emotions rushed into her heart, rushing left and right in her chest, unable to find an outlet, wishing to yell, But he had no choice but to restrain himself, Wei Yu's eyes were red and his lips were trembling.

Sun Yu sighed and said, "The country is unfortunate."

The imperial envoy shook his head and sighed: "Everything is inevitable. On the day the Third Highness personally conscripted, many people persuaded him. However, the young man is arrogant and does not listen to persuasion..."

You Miao stood behind Sun Yu, tears streaming down her cheeks. Sun Yu said, "Goryeo has lost the battle, and the five beards outside the pass will become even more arrogant. I'm afraid there won't be peace for a few years."

The imperial envoy was also a student of Sun Yu. He noticed You Miao's reaction, looked at Sun Yu again, pondered for a moment, and started another topic: "The student heard a news that next year His Majesty will open Enke."

Sun Yu nodded slowly, and the imperial envoy said: "Prime Minister Li is old, and when he comes to the capital, he should be a stage for the prince's faction. Now the Li family is in the middle of the court to fight against the dissidents. In a few years, when the prince ascends the throne, there will be another change. , Even if the students are determined, they dare not do something. A few days ago, because of the food and salary, they even accused the servant of the household department for a felony..."

Sun Yu said: "You can't rush forward, just be cautious on weekdays, the way to turn around...You Miao?"

You Miao's mind was full of Zhao Chao's defeat, and he didn't listen to a few words. It was not until Sun Yu called for the second time that You Miao noticed the two of them, and then bowed slightly.

"Go out and wash your face, go to the study, and finish copying the annotations of the "Book of Music" I approved." Sun Yu ordered.

You Miao nodded and walked out of the compound. The sun was shining brightly, and he couldn't help but burst into tears standing under the tree.

Li Zhifeng was sitting in the concierge waiting for You Miao to read, when he heard the voice rushing over, this was the first time he saw You Miao crying, he hurriedly said: "What? You got scolded? What's the matter?"

You Miao just couldn't help crying while standing, couldn't help but hugged Li Zhifeng, buried him on his shoulder and cried with regret, feeling unspeakably sad for a while, but couldn't resolve it.

"Zhao Chao lost..." You Miao cried.

Li Zhifeng touched You Miao's head, smiled, and said, "Don't cry."