Princess, he is rich enough to rival the country

Gu Yanshu never thought that it was just a serious illness that could bring about such a change in Qin Lu's thinking.

As far as Gu Yanshu was concerned, he actually didn't want Qin Lu to fight for the throne.

He and Qin Lu have the same mind, and Qin Lu has already promised that there will be no third party. Gu Yanshu knows that according to his Xiaolu's temperament, as long as it is said, there is no reason to take it back.

This means that neither he nor Qin Lu will have offspring.

The emperor has no heirs. This is not only a family matter, but also a state matter. If it is not handled properly, it will easily shake the foundation of the country.

In addition, that is the emperor is not so beautiful on the surface.

Not to mention other things, just talk about Qin Lu's father, the current sage Qin Yuan, and his life is not easy.

Just like what Gu Yanshu and Wen Qingxiao brothers said when they said that he was not interested in officialdom, Qin Yuan has been in power for more than [-] years and has been conscientious. Like officials, he gets up earlier than chickens and sleeps later than dogs .

Ordinary officials still have a half-monthly rest and bath, but Qin Yuan only rests for a few days during the Chinese New Year, and his work intensity is comparable to Zero Zero Seven.

If you are unlucky and encounter the snow disaster in Shaocheng this year, you will not even have a rest time for the Chinese New Year.

In addition, as a monarch, you should set an example for a country, and you need to think twice about what you think and do. It can be said that there is no freedom at all.

Gu Yanshu's previous life was just ups and downs in the business world, responsible for the food and drink of his employees, sometimes he felt exhausted, and in the end he even became sick from overwork, ran out of oil and died.

It is conceivable that the monarch of a country holds the life and death of the entire country in his hands, and sees that he is responsible for the food, clothing, housing and transportation of all the people, and what kind of burden it is to worry about safety.

Emperors in history were so short-lived. Even the top leaders who had the top nutritionists and the most scientific maintenance methods around the end of the world seemed much older than their peers.

If the ability is strong enough, it is still relatively good, at least he can retain his name before and after his life, and his name will go down in history to become a generation of Mingjun.

In later generations, when people mention it, they can also praise a few words.

But if you are unlucky and born at an untimely time, it will be really hard and thankless, and the gain outweighs the loss.

To say a disrespectful word, today is such an example.

For more than [-] years, I have worked hard for the people wholeheartedly, exhausted all my efforts and thought about all the organs, and didn't even dare to rest for a moment. However, after more than [-] years, I still only get evaluations such as "mediocre" and "no merit or fault".

As far as Gu Yanshu is concerned, according to Qin Yuan's talent and skills, as well as Tianqi's current improving national conditions, if Qin Yuan is given another 20 years, Qin Yuan will definitely be able to get the reputation he wants.

But it is a pity that now Qin Yuan has reached the age of knowing his destiny. In Tianqi, if he can live to sixty, he is already an extremely long-lived existence. Qin Yuan has no second 20 years.

If Qin Lu succeeds to the throne, the situation will indeed be a little better than that of Qin Yuan.

Not only because of the improvement of Tianqi's national conditions, but also because Qin Lu's personal ability is superior to Qin Yuan's.

Coupled with the help of Gu Yanshu, who has advanced vision and knowledge, it is not impossible to push Tianqi forward for a hundred years.

But even so, it was too tiring.

As long as Gu Yanshu thinks that in the future, the shoulders of his own Xiaolu will not only bear the safety of Tianqi's border, but also determine the life and death of Tianqi's entire country, he will feel tired.

But Gu Yanshu also knew that the matter had come to this point, and neither he nor Qin Lu had any way out.

Not only because of the eldest prince's lineage, but also because of Qin Lu's serious illness.

How can others sleep on the side of the couch?

Even without the lineage of the eldest prince, when the young princes in the palace grew up, they would still be able to accommodate Qin Lu who could respond to everyone in the army.

People's hearts are unpredictable, even the fifth prince who has the closest relationship with Qin Lu, Gu Yanshu dare not trust him wholeheartedly.

Money can move people's hearts, let alone control all life and death, the supreme right?

If it is cultivated, after enjoying the pleasure of standing on the pinnacle of power, the fifth prince will be dissatisfied with Qin Lu's existence, then how will Prince Li's mansion deal with it?

After thinking about it for a long time, Gu Yanshu was surprised to find that there were only two paths left before Qin Lu:

Succession or death.

However, looking at the appearance of his own deer, it seems that he has no interest in the throne, so...

Gu Yanshu's eyes drooped slightly, and he began to think about how he could get out of the court if his Xiaolu really didn't want to be the throne in the future.

The transfer of military power may not completely reassure the new emperor.

Now almost all the soldiers that Tianqi has to use are trained by Qin Lu, Qin Lu's face, Qin Lu's name, in many cases, is even more useful than a soldier talisman.

In this case, handing over military power has no meaning other than being slaughtered.

However, if the commercial empire he originally envisioned was expanded, coupled with the military power in Qin Lu's hands, it would be suppressed from both economic and military sides... Even if the new emperor was dissatisfied at that time, he would definitely not dare to act rashly.

Anyway, he and Qin Lu will not have offspring, as long as the new emperor does not move when they are alive, even after they are dead, Gu Yanshu will not care if the new emperor wants to beat them up.

It is the business blueprint planned in his mind, which will take at least three to five years to be fully completed.

Before coming to Yizhou, Gu Yanshu went to the palace to meet the emperor. Although the emperor was not in a good mood at that time, it is not difficult to know from the words of Wang Gonggong that it was because the emperor had just stayed up all night.

I haven't heard of any illnesses on the emperor's body on weekdays. If the emperor wants to stay on the throne for another three or five years, there shouldn't be any problems... right?

It never occurred to Qin Lu that his concubine thought of so many problems with just a casual sentence, and even thought about his retreat from the court in the future.

It's a pity that Qin Lu doesn't have the ability to read minds, so he doesn't know what's going on in Gu Yanshu's mind. All he can see is his soft and serious face, with a pensive look on his face.

Just as he was about to ask, he heard Zhi Ge's voice from outside the door:

"Princess, the person you are looking for has arrived."

This voice also pulled Gu Yanshu out of his thoughts.

The excessive brain speed made Gu Yanshu's thoughts slightly stagnant. After thinking for a while, he realized who Zhi Ge was talking about:

"I see, let him wait in the side hall."

Gu Yanshu raised his eyes to look at the time, and found that it was already Qin Lu's lunch break these days, Dang even stood up, ready to leave.

While getting up, I did not forget to explain in a low voice with Qin Lu:

"It should be Li Mingpeng, I'll go and have a look first."

Hearing this name, Qin Lu's eyes flashed with clarity. This is the person in charge of Yanglin County when the embankment was built.

On the first day Gu Yanshu arrived in Yizhou, he asked Zhi Ge to investigate the cause and effect of Qin Lu's smallpox infection.

Gu Yanshu's request for Zhi Ge required detailed investigations down to the first patient infected with smallpox in Yanglin County, Yizhou, and when and how he was infected with the smallpox virus.

The person who was pointed out by Xingren for being lazy at the beginning, and later came to make friends with Qin Lu when he visited Yanglin County for the second time was named Li Ergou.

A name that is very common in the countryside, so common that it is unremarkable. If you point out ten people in the countryside, three of them will be named "Ergou".

But it was such an ordinary and featureless person who made Qin Lu and Prince Li's mansion suffer such a big setback!

As Gu Yanshu had expected at the beginning, it was deliberate that things were too coincidental.

Li Ergou's family claimed that the daughter who died of chickenpox did die of smallpox. As far as we can find, the earliest smallpox patient in Yanglin County was Li Ergou's daughter, Li Guihua.

But even Zhi Ge has not been able to find out how Li Guihua, a little girl in the field, was infected with a virus as powerful as smallpox for no reason.

But the strangeness of the matter is far more than that.

During Zhige's follow-up investigation, it was found that Li Guihua's body was slightly different from the characteristics of Li Guihua that the people of Yanglin County said.

Zhige even suspected that the body buried in the grave was not Li Guihua.

But later, another villager said that Li Ergou himself was not in good health. His wife died of dystocia.

Even when they went out occasionally, they only looked at it from a distance, and their memory was a little fuzzy. If there was any discrepancy, it was normal.

Others said that they had personally seen Li Guihua after suffering from chickenpox.

As the hardest-hit area of ​​the smallpox infection, Yanglin County can be said to have suffered heavy losses.

Not only the land in the fields was abandoned, but many people even died of smallpox infection.

In Zhi Ge's words, if you go to Yanglin County now, you will find that almost every household is covered with white silk.

Some families with less luck, even the whole family died from the smallpox virus. If there is no government, there is not even a person to collect the corpse.

Zhige's investigation is not low-key, and now almost all the surviving villagers in Yanglin County know that smallpox comes from Li Guihua.

Knowing the culprit, it is not an exaggeration for the people of Yanglin County to say that they hate Li Ergou's family, and they will definitely not help Li Ergou lie.

Now the villagers have inconsistent descriptions of Li Guihua's physical characteristics, and Zhige doesn't know whose opinion he should listen to.

Afterwards, I heard from the coroner of the autopsy that the body was indeed that of a seven or eight-year-old girl, and that the age was comparable, so Zhi Ge could only temporarily put aside his initial suspicions and prepare to start investigations from other places. .

However, from when Qin Lu was infected with smallpox, the news spread back to the capital, and then Gu Yanshu rushed from the capital to Yizhou, it took a total of nearly ten days.

By the time Zhige came to investigate, the prime time to catch clues had already been lost.

Not to mention, let's just say that Li Ergou's family, including Li Ergou himself and Li Ergou's elderly mother, have all died of smallpox virus.

Not to mention that in order to prevent the spread of the virus and spread the epidemic, the governor of Yizhou issued an order to burn it from the very beginning.

Except for the body of Li Guihua who was buried by Li Ergou himself and escaped the catastrophe, the other patients infected with smallpox did not even leave a single skeleton, let alone the place where they lived and the equipment they used. Items gone.

If it weren't for the fact that there are no clues now, Gu Yanshu even wanted to say that Yizhou Zhizhou's approach is simply a textbook-like epidemic prevention. With such a keen and cautious degree, it is no wonder that the first time it was found that the water level exceeded the warning line, it was reported to the court for a request A dam has been built.

But now, Gu Yanshu is only full of complexity.

Not to mention that the difficulty of Zhige's investigation is not only that.

Li Ergou's family lives in Yanglin County, and everyone he knows is also in Yanglin County, but it is now the hardest hit area of ​​smallpox infection, and the survival rate of the people is only half.

Many people who may know the inside story and can provide clues have now died of the smallpox virus.

There are no witnesses or material evidence. This is the first time Zhige has encountered such a difficult matter. After more than ten days of investigation, the progress is still slow.

Even Gu Yanshu was helpless in such a situation.

Now, Gu Yanshu has called and interrogated almost everyone related to Li Ergou, except Li Mingpeng who was in charge of the dam construction in Yanglin County.

It wasn't that Li Mingpeng refused to cooperate, but that this person was unlucky and also infected with the smallpox virus.

But fortunately, like Qin Lu, Li Mingpeng survived the misfortune.

No, the health has just improved, and I heard that when Gu Yanshu was investigating Li Ergou, he followed Zhi Ge to see Gu Yanshu very cooperatively.

As soon as Gu Yanshu arrived at the side hall, he saw the person standing in the middle of the side hall.

Almost the first time he saw Li Mingpeng, Gu Yanshu knew why this person was able to survive the smallpox virus and became a blessing in that misfortune.

This is the first time that Gu Yanshu has seen such a strong person outside of the military camp.

Even though he lost a little weight because of the smallpox virus, even the muscles on his body became less smooth, but his size still cannot be underestimated.

Using Gu Yanshu's previous description, it is like Mei Yanxi's father, who can kill several children with one punch.

Perhaps seeing the doubts in Gu Yanshu's heart, Zhi Ge explained in a low voice at the right time:

"Li Mingpeng once joined the army, under the command of the prince, he was injured only later, so he retired."

For Li Mingpeng, Zhige even has a certain impression, which was once an extremely brave existence in the army.

It was just bad luck that he injured his arm during a battle with the enemy.

Although he survived, the knife directly severed the muscles and bones, and his injured right hand could not lift heavy objects since then.

So he had no choice but to retreat.

When Li Mingpeng retired, many comrades in the army felt sorry for him.

As far as Li Mingpeng's talent is concerned, if he continues to shine in the army, he may also be able to reach the position of General Mei in the end and be named a marquis.

Even Zhige didn't expect to see Li Mingpeng again in Yanglin County.

When Gu Yanshu heard the words, there was a gleam of clarity in his eyes.

He used to be Qin Lu's subordinate?

Isn't that one of us?

It is much easier to handle things on your own, and it is convenient to ask anything you want.

Just when Gu Yanshu was thinking this way, Li Mingpeng turned around and cupped his fists at Gu Yanshu:

"This subordinate has met the princess, Your Highness Wanan!"

The sound was like a bell, and its movement could be heard eight hundred miles away. It really looked like a man in the army.

"You don't need to be too polite. Our hall just heard Zhige mention it, and then we know that Mr. Li once worked with the prince."

Gu Yanshu waved his hands with a smile, signaling Li Mingpeng to get up.

Li Mingpeng did not expect that Gu Yanshu would be so polite, and immediately let go of most of the anxiety in his heart:

"It's just that I have served under the prince's command for a while, so I can't use the word 'collaborate'."

"You can't say that. If you have killed the enemy together in battle, you are brothers with different surnames. How can you be wrong?"

Gu Yanshu raised his hand slightly, signaling Li Mingpeng to find a seat to sit down.

Even in later generations, comrade-in-arms friendship is also one of the most memorable and strongest feelings.

Since Zhi Ge has an impression of Li Mingpeng, he presumably does the same for Qin Lu.

Because, Gu Yanshu's attitude towards Li Mingpeng softened a little.

"Princess is welcome."

Li Mingpeng sat down according to the instructions of taking care of Yanshu, and the last bit of uneasiness in his heart was calmed down by Gu Yanshu's attitude, and his complexion relaxed a lot.

Noticing the change in Li Mingpeng's complexion, Gu Yanshu's lips twitched slightly, and asked him a few words about Qin Lu's deeds in the army. After Li Mingpeng completely relaxed, he slowly changed the topic to Li Ergou .

Since Li Mingpeng was able to make Zhi Ge have a certain amount of memory, he is naturally not a brave and foolish man. Now that he heard this, he knew that this was the point that Gu Yanshu asked him to come over today, and he was not vague at once. Tell me all the information you know.

Li Ergou's situation is almost the same as what he said to Xingren at the beginning.

It is probably the life of a low-level commoner who is unlucky and penniless, and lives an extremely difficult life.

This is also not much different from Zhi Ge's subsequent investigation.

Before Zhige investigated Li Ergou wantonly this time, Li Mingpeng didn't even think that Li Wang's smallpox infection would be related to Li Ergou.

"From Master Li's words, it seems that he is very familiar with Li Ergou?"

Gu Yanshu is sensitive to people's emotions, even though Li Mingpeng's words are extremely objective, Gu Yanshu can hear a bit of intimacy from them.

Now that Li Ergou's family is the culprit of the smallpox rampage in Yanglin County, they still have such feelings for Li Ergou. Thinking about their relationship before, it should be unusual?

"Wangfei is so insightful, she really can't hide anything from Wangfei."

Li Mingpeng sighed slightly and did not deny it.

He and Li Ergou are indeed very familiar, and the two families are even somewhat related.

However, Yanglin County is a small place, and people with the same surname living in the same village are more or less related to each other.

Li Mingpeng and Li Ergou are acquainted, mostly because their parents have a good relationship.

Even before Li Ergou's father died, Li Ergou's mother and son were entrusted to Li Mingpeng's father.

It's just that before Li Mingpeng joined the army, the family conditions were extremely difficult, and he could hardly give Li Ergou's family any help.

It is better to say that Li Mingpeng's family takes care of Li Ergou's family than that the two families support and take care of each other.

Later, Li Mingpeng's biological father passed away, and Li Mingpeng was the only one left in the family. Li Mingpeng went to join the army alone, and the relationship between the two families gradually weakened a little.

But the thing of pettiness cannot be erased no matter what.

After Li Mingpeng came back from the army, although the relationship between the two families was not as good as before, compared with other people in Lijia Village, they were still a little closer.

Not to mention that Li Ergou's life is so difficult. Li Mingpeng's situation has improved now. Even if he can't be said to be rich, he is still an official. Help out as much as you can.

Just like this time, if someone else was responsible for the construction of the embankment, Li Ergou's physical condition at the time would not have been accepted anyway.

But Li Mingpeng was in charge of this matter, and turned a blind eye to him and opened a moderate back door for him.

When mentioning this matter, Li Mingpeng was afraid that Gu Yanshu might misunderstand, so his voice was slightly nervous:

"Although building the embankment is physical work, there are many trivial things in the early stage. Although it is not difficult, it is also annoying. Li Ergou is responsible for these things."

Although Li Ergou's body is weak, he is still a man, and he has worked in the fields. He can't do physical work, but he can take care of these trivial matters.

Li Mingpeng recruited Li Ergou to come in. Although he opened the back door, it was far from unbearable.

Gu Yanshu is not a ruthless person, nor will he blame Li Mingpeng for this time.

He only raised his hand slightly, indicating that the matter was not serious, and tapped the table with his fingers, as if thinking of something, and confirmed to Li Mingpeng:

"In the early stage, he was only responsible for trivial matters on the embankment?"

"Yes," Li Mingpeng nodded slightly, with a firm tone, "His body at the time couldn't do anything else, otherwise he wouldn't be able to..."

Speaking of this, Li Mingpeng didn't say anything further, but the meaning was obvious.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be caught by Xingren for being lazy later on.

Gu Yanshu nodded slightly, indicating that he understood, and then asked:

"Then the area he was in charge of at that time, does Master Li still remember?"

"Remember, East Second District." Li Mingpeng gave the answer almost without thinking.

"Master Li, are you sure?" Gu Yanshu's tone sank slightly.

"determine."

Li Mingpeng thought that Gu Yanshu didn't believe it, so he directly stated the reason:

"The subordinates are really selfish when facing Li Ergou. East Second District is the closest area to Li Ergou's house."

Li Ergou's family environment is special. Apart from an elderly mother, there is only one daughter in the family. He was arranged in the East Second District in order to prevent any accidents in his family and to be able to go back as soon as possible.

What Li Ergou didn't see was the glint of darkness in Gu Yanshu's eyes when he said the words "East Second District":

Isn't the East Second District the area that Qin Lu failed to pass the inspection for the first time?