Emperor Que Shaohua

For several days in a row, the spring rain in Los Angeles was like continous, the air was full of soft moisture and fragrance, and the chill of early spring was gradually fading away.In the smoky rain, the new shoots of the trees cover the branches with soft green, which almost touches people's hearts.

On the bank of Luoshui outside the city, most of the peach and apricot blossoms that were in bud a few days ago have already bloomed, and the first willow branches are swaying in the misty rain, which looks like a picture scroll smudged in the water.

Because it was raining, not many people went out of the city to enjoy the scenery. Occasionally, three or two scholars came here, and they only stayed by the water for a while with umbrellas, and then turned to look for pavilions or wine houses where they could sit and rest. up.

At ten o'clock in the evening, a small green cloth sedan chair walked slowly along the bank of the river, upstream upstream, and walked for several miles in the drizzle.At this moment, a corner of the car curtain was lifted, and the person inside stretched out a slender white hand, and whispered something, and a group of several people got off the car beside a few weeping willows.

A young woman in a lavender dress leaned out of the sedan chair and walked slowly to the water's edge through the green grass.Her black hair was only loosely tied with a sandalwood hairpin, and the river wind blew her soft and long hair like the gentle hands of a sympathizer, revealing her white nape.

There is a faint mist floating above the Luoshui, and the river is rippling. The water that has just thawed is so clear that it almost reveals blue from the emerald green.She stared for a moment before turning around, took a lotus lantern from the hand of the following maid, bent down and carefully put it into the water.

Small lotus flowers are blooming on the surface of the river, undulating slightly in the water waves, staying for a while, then going down the current, slowly drifting downstream.The woman straightened her body and stood silently, watching the small lotus lantern go away with the waves, turn into a small dot, circle around the turning point of the river, and finally disappear at the end of her sight.

The rain stained the wet dress and drenched the black hair, she didn't seem to notice it, and Youzi stared at it bewilderedly.

"Miss," the maid behind her was a little worried, and called softly, "At least let the maid hold the umbrella for you, so you don't catch a cold."

The lady she was talking about didn't answer, and after a long while, she sighed softly as if waking up from a dream: "No need, let's go back." When she turned around, she unconsciously turned her head again, looking at He glanced at Luoshui who was about to leave behind.

The flow of the river remains the same, and human affairs are no longer the same. Despite the origin and extinction of the world and the decline of prosperity, the clear Luoshui still flows eastward day after day. It takes away its own lotus lantern, but it can also take away endless melancholy and sorrow. miss?

That night, the drizzle was like strands of silk, and it fell from time to time all night. Until the next morning, the rain still fell intermittently under the sky.

The small building where Bai Ruohan lives is in Yiyu, deep in the garden of Mingyue Tower. She has always loved quietness. Voiceless sounds will also be faintly heard, accompanied by the gurgling water in the garden, as if from the sky.

The small building listened to the spring rain all night. When she walked out of the building this morning, she couldn't help but want to see if there were a few more apricot blossoms blooming.But not far away, there were light and hasty footsteps running towards her. It was two girls in the building: "Miss Bai, another lotus lamp is flowing in with the water!"

"Lotus lantern?" Bai Ruohan just stopped, and walked forward leisurely after hearing the words. Mingyue Tower is connected to the tributary of Luoshui outside the city. Every summer and autumn, women often go out of the city to make wishes and put down lotus lanterns in Luoshui. Some of them drifted into the garden with the tributaries, and the girls have seen it countless times. "Unexpectedly, it has been less than half a month since Luoshui thawed, and someone has already put on the lights. It's early, so don't worry about it."

"But girl, that lotus lantern looks unusual." The two girls glanced at each other, and one of them said anxiously, "It's not the usual pink, blue and purple, it's black, it's like what the girl told you to pay attention to." That kind. That’s why we saw it just now, so hurry up and report it.”

Before she finished speaking, Bai Ruohan turned around abruptly, only Duan Ning could be seen on her pretty face: "Where is it? Take me to see it."

The girls were a little uneasy by Lingzhu's expression, and guided Bai Ruohan to a small pool with slow water flow, but saw a black lotus floating quietly, like a water lily that had just grown out of clear water.

After the early dynasty, Emperor Tianyi summoned King Ning to the imperial study.Since the end of the contest, the progress of the peace talks has been quite smooth, and the agreement on the terms is just around the corner. There is another reason for this summoning.

"Bingyuan, do you know why I want you to come to the imperial study?" The emperor pointed to the hill-like memorials piled up on the imperial case, "In three days, 170 three copies, including Xue Fuzheng's excerpts. "

Luo Pingyuan immediately understood that the problem was in the memorial presented by Zhong Lin, the servant of the household department three days ago.

In the past half a year, the Ministry of Household Inspection has discovered many long-standing abuses, the most serious of which is the continuous occupation of land and land by the rich and powerful families from all over the country, resulting in a year-by-year decline in the tax revenue of the treasury.Although it is not outstanding at present, according to the current trend, it will inevitably lead to serious troubles in another ten or eight years.Therefore, after discussing with King Jing, he supported Zhong Lin and wrote a booklet, requesting to re-clear the records of the land in the prefectures and counties of the world, classify the land levels, return the occupied land to the original owner, and return the unowned land to the government. Then distribute them to ordinary farmers who have lost their fields for farming as appropriate.

This approach has not yet involved changes in the tax system. It is only extended to verify the acres of land after checking the granaries and warehouses. Expectations are even more intense, and the leader is Xue Songnian.

He picked up the top few memorials and skimmed through them, all of which were objections without exception. Some cited various reasons, saying that such a large-scale war would inevitably lead to instability in the place; Donating money and food, now that the foreign aggression is eliminated, the imperial court will cross the river and demolish the bridge, which is chilling. Some people say that the affairs involved are too cumbersome and complicated.There are quite a lot of bullets against Zhong Lin and even himself, scolding for talking on paper, acting recklessly, trying to gain fame and so on.

"Father and emperor clearly learned that tax and silver are declining. If too much land in the world falls into the hands of the gentry, the people will have no land to grow, and they will be displaced. It will inevitably lead to turmoil in the country. It is imperative to clear the land and acres." Luo Pingyuan He said, "The stability of the frontier depends on the people's military service, payment of land taxes, and supply of grain and rice. They have borne far more than the gentry and gentry. Now that the war is over, the people hope that the tax burden can be reduced. If we can’t check the acres of land clearly, I’m afraid it will be difficult for the imperial court to start adjusting the national policy.”

"Let's talk about the imperial court, let's see what these officials are thinking. Min Wenwen and Zhang Yancun are the most troublesome." Emperor Tianyi waved his hand, and the fear of a decrease in the land endowment had been raised by the Ministry of Household Taxation in Shao'an as early as last year. At that time, he had already noticed that even Luo Yanhua, who was not discussing politics, had spoken in front of him.This is the basis of interest. Before temporarily enduring the war in the northern border, now that he has freed up his hands, he certainly does not want to continue to let the local area expand and the national treasury revenue decrease. Zhong Lin's proposal is right on his mind, so he quite agrees.Unexpectedly, he was very displeased with the huge resistance just because of the heavy land, "There are also supporters, and they are all over there."

Luo Pingyuan saw that there was also a pile of playbooks on the other side of the case, about [-] or [-] copies. Compared with the huge momentum of the opposing side, it seemed weak.

"Min Shilang and others are all from a wealthy family in the south of the Yangtze River. If you think that any relative or friend has a thousand hectares of fertile land, it is no wonder that they will strongly oppose it. It's just that as a minister, living on the imperial salary and seeking the livelihood of the people in the world, such an attitude is unavoidably narrow-minded. "He said thoughtfully, "Jiangnan is rich and prosperous, and the weather has been good in the past two years, but the tax and silver paid to the treasury have not increased but decreased. I always complain when I ask. situation."

Emperor Tianyi's heart was moved. The gentry in the south of the Yangtze River was at its peak, and it was second to none in Yu and Zhou. It has not declined for a hundred years since the founding of the country.Liu Kedu was born in Yuzhou, which was three days away from the capital, and the emperor was far away from the sky south of the Yangtze River, so he didn't know how much he ignored the imperial decree.He has had this heart disease for a long time, and he always felt a layer of separation when he heard the reports from the local officials. Thinking of the arrogance of those courtiers from the gentry relying on their family background, he couldn't help but send people to Jiangnan to rectify it.

It is necessary to be familiar with the government affairs of the Ministry of Household Affairs and to be able to live in the town. There is no more suitable candidate than Luo Pingyuan.It's just that the situation in the capital is not yet completely stable, and he hasn't thought about how to deal with Luo Yanhua and Langhuan, and he still can't make up his mind to send King Ning out of the capital.

Although I tried my best to hide it from outsiders recently, in fact, every time I close my eyes at night, nightmares strike, not only Queen Jiang Biyao, but also the palace officials who died in the old Langhuan case kept falling into dreams, crying or accusing, some even worse Claim his life.

The emperor woke up dripping with cold sweat every night, and he was inevitably in a trance during the day, and his energy was exhausted. Now he was looking at the hill-like memorial but felt a headache, wishing he could just push it out and ignore it.He pondered for a moment before he said, "There is nothing wrong with the emperor's idea, but this group of civil servants can be annoying, but it is not appropriate to treat them rudely. Keep the memorial for the time being. You can discuss this matter with Xue Fuzheng. First, try your best." Appease the opposing opinions, and make sense after seeing the situation in the court.”

Luo Pingyuan came out of the palace gate, saw that it was almost noon, and decided to return home for dinner.He wanted to inform King Jing of the situation in the court and Emperor Tianyi's attitude as soon as possible. The agreement between the Qingzhang and the farmland was related to the foundation of the country, and it was the key to whether he could win to go to the south of the Yangtze River with his brother, so there was nothing to lose.

All the way thinking about the big and small things that are being finished or in progress, until he dismounted in front of the mansion gate as usual, he was still in a state of absent-mindedness, and walked straight to Lancangju.

"Your Highness Fifth." Yang Yue called out twice from behind, but failed to attract attention. When he was about to catch up to speak, King Ning had already entered King Jing's main courtyard.He had no choice but to give up, and swallowed the phrase "Miss Bai is here, and she is talking with His Highness in the hall".Thinking about it, even if it hits right, there will be no consequences.

Luo Pingyuan thought that the emperor's brother, who had just recovered from a serious illness, should still be resting in bed at this moment. He planned to walk through the hall and go straight to the bedroom, but he was surprised when he stepped into the living room. Luo Yanhua sat in the chair in front of the window, quietly holding a cup of tea, and sitting across the table is Bai Ruohan in water-colored gauze, who is lowering her eyes and also silent. From the angle of the door, she can only see her beautiful curves. profile.

Luo Pingyuan choked up halfway, feeling a little embarrassed for no reason, the atmosphere at the moment of entering the door was strangely subtle, even though the expressions of the two of them had not changed, he still felt like a reckless uninvited guest, It disturbed the occasional microwaves in the center of the lake.

Compared with other Langhuan's subordinates, Bai Ruohan always makes people feel a little different, perhaps because she is not only Zheng Yu's mistress, but also a peerless beauty.She didn't come to see the suzerain many times, usually when Luo Pingyuan was not in the mansion, but she could always detect traces of her presence afterwards.Sometimes it's a pot of bluegrass in the study, sometimes it's the crispy dumplings and thousand-layer cakes that the emperor asked Gu Yu to send to Hanxiaozhai.Needless to say, when Luo Yanhua was seriously ill several times, there would always be a plain car parked silently outside the corner gate, and left quietly only after receiving news of his recovery.People in the past knew the elegant meaning by hearing the string songs. There are so many nobles and talents in Luocheng, but have you ever heard that Bai Ruohan from Mingyue Tower is lying to someone?Even Luo Pingyuan could feel that gentle and gentle heart, he didn't believe that King Jing would not understand.At this moment, it was impossible to ignore the ripple-like short-term strangeness and the inexplicable faint feeling in my heart.

"Excuse me, Miss Bai is here." He managed to react, "Brother Huang, then I will go back to Michelle House first, and I will come to you later."

"Your Highness Fifth, Ruohan has finished telling the reason why he wants to report to the Lord, so I will take my leave." But at this time Bai Ruohan stood up gracefully, bowed her knees, and her demeanor had a natural grace.Luo Pingyuan noticed that she didn't bring Yaoqin with her, could it be that she made a mistake, she didn't come here for a visit, but because there was another important matter in Langhuan?

"I'm here to deliver lotus lanterns to the Lord." Bai Ruohan seemed to see his doubts, smiled lightly, and then said softly to King Jing, "Ruohan is going back to Mingyue Tower now, no matter what the situation is, but Please, Lord, take care of your health." Speaking of the last few words, her soft voice suddenly trembled.

Only then did Luo Pingyuan notice that there was an ink-colored lotus flower in the center of the table, slightly larger than the palm of his hand, the petals were beautiful and delicate, and the outermost edge was inlaid with thin gold threads, which revealed solemnity in elegance.The center of the lotus is made into a delicate candlestick, the structure of which is just like the lotus lamps commonly used by people to make wishes.Moreover, the layers of lotus petals seem to have been wet and soaked, and they should have been floating in the water for a while.

It's rare to see a black lamp, where did it come from, why did Bai Ruohan bring it all the way across the house?A lot of questions arose in his heart, and he couldn't help turning his eyes to King Jing.Luo Yanhua had already stood up, his face was still as pale as he had been sick these days, he had no intention of holding back, he just nodded lightly: "Director Yang will send you out, Ruohan, don't think too much, I have a sense of proportion."

Luo Pingyuan really wanted to know what was going on, but he still refrained from asking, this might be the emperor's brother's private matter.

King Jing did not seem to want to talk about it. When Bai Ruohan left, he gently picked up the ink lotus on the table and put it aside. As usual, he asked the younger brother who had just returned to sit down for a while and ordered lunch to be served. When Luo Pingyuan talked about the stacks of opposing memorials in the imperial study, a smile appeared on his lips: "The gentry in the south of the Yangtze River are connected by roots, and their families are hugely wealthy. The influence in the south of the Yangtze River is indeed deep. I don’t care much about the court’s decrees and officials. With Min Shilang’s background, one of the important responsibilities of being an official in the court is to pave the way for the families behind him. At this time, it is natural to stand up and condemn.”

"The crown prince has always been willing to make friends with the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River, gain their support, and also provide protection in the court. Your Majesty appointed Pingyuan and your household registration department at the beginning because Luo Wenxiao couldn't do anything real, no matter whether it was clearing up the arrears or clearing the land." He thought for a while and said, "Now that the crown prince is about to be useless, these civil servants in the court have always been comfortable, but they are not so easy to adapt to the change of wind direction. With the support of Xue Fuzheng, it seems that he wants to be different from the prestigious Prince Ning. Don't be afraid, weigh a weight. After all, His Royal Highness is young and not deeply involved in politics. It is best to obey after setbacks, and it will be easy to deal with in the future. It just sounds that the father's vigor is a bit lacking, and we must try to make him able to It’s better to see the results without feeling troublesome and hard work.”

The two often talked about government affairs, Luo Pingyuan understood the court situation clearly, nodded and said: "I asked Jing Yuwei to prepare as much as possible, but since the emperor ordered, it seems that we need to find a time to visit Xue Songnian as soon as possible. Respecting the land is the proper meaning of governing the country, let's see what he can say."

During the examination last year, King Ning learned of the past of Xue Songnian, who had once been the envoy of seal and gold, betrayed and framed Langhuan.On the whole, Xue Songnian's crimes are even higher than Ji Wuya's. The emperor's brother has not dealt with him yet, presumably because this person does not attack as frequently as the prince, and his scheming is deeper, so the right time has not yet been met. .

He was not interested in the meeting with Xue Songnian, so his tone was a bit reluctant, and his mind unconsciously turned to the scene where Bai Ruohan and the emperor were sitting together speechless, and he still wanted to speak. Looking back at this moment, he always felt that it was not what he saw at first glance. Gentle and charming, but with a certain lingering sadness.

Even though he was talking about business as usual, Luo Pingyuan still felt that the emperor's brother was not the same as usual, under the quiet smile, there seemed to be a cool and tortuous undercurrent in his mind, which made him vaguely lost his mind.

King Ning looked at the unique ink-colored lotus lamp unconsciously from the corner of his eye. What kind of meaning does it carry?Bai Ruohan must know about it, can't Brother Huang tell him?

When he came back to his senses, he realized that the two of them were silent. After a while, King Jing was also looking at the same lotus lantern, staring at the ink that was about to faint.

"When is Pingyuan going to see Xue Songnian, do you want to go to Xue's mansion?" After a while, King Jing turned his gaze back. I don't know if it was an illusion, but Luo Pingyuan saw a flash of sadness in his eyes.

"I don't think it should be too late. I will order someone to deliver the greeting card in a while, and I will come to the door tomorrow." He said, being a little confused by the emperor's expression, he really wanted to ask, "If the emperor thinks it is inappropriate, Choose another time."

"Tomorrow will be fine." Luo Yanhua said, his expression had returned to tranquility, but what he said later surprised King Ning, "I happen to have something to do, and I need to meet someone in Xue's mansion, so why not go with Ping Yuan. "

Feeling a little confused, he looked at the doubtful and questioning eyes of his younger brother, but remembered the words Bai Ruohan had left for him just now before he said goodbye.

"Ruohan should miss Suhang very much. It's my suzerain's fault for letting you stay in Luocheng for a long time." After all, I think, you can go back to Jiangnan."

However, Bai Ruohan, who was sitting opposite, shook her head lightly, "Unless one day, the Lord decides to stay away from the capital and never return to Luocheng, Ruohan will leave."

"Thinking back to the time when I was entrusted by Wanli and Vice-Master Zhu to go north to the capital, it has been three years since I saw the Lord for the first time. Others only see that Luocheng is not as comfortable as Suzhou and Hangzhou, but they don't know that these three years are the happiest in Ruohan's life. I almost felt that I owed Wan Li because of this, because I was also stationed in Mingyue Tower, so I was the only one who could always be by the Lord's side." Her voice, like ice and broken jade, gradually softened, and her long and slender eyelashes drooped down. Covering his eyes, before King Jing could answer, he continued, "This black lotus is the Lord's longing for ten years. Every year, countless lotus lanterns float into the garden with Luoshui. Ruohan once I thought it would never come, or it had already sunk in the river. I shouldn’t disturb the master’s thoughts at this time, but the subordinate just wanted to say, no matter what, no matter what, ten years, twenty years, Ruohan In this life, I will always be waiting for the Lord, I don’t want to be like this ethereal lotus, I hope I can be like the endless Luoshui, and I will accompany you for a long time.”

"Is the person the emperor wants to see related to this lotus lantern?" King Jing heard Luo Pingyuan asking beside him, with a trace of concern and worry, "Your complexion is not very good, are you tired?"

"I'm going to see Yingchuan, she is Xue Songnian's eldest daughter." He closed his eyes, and after a moment of silence, he replied, "It was also the future concubine that my mother made for me ten years ago."