That night, Xiao Bei held a grand bonfire party in Tonghua County.
She spent the money to buy all kinds of food from the county and invited those who could come to join in the fun. It was estimated that the standard of living of the people in the county would drop in the next few days, so a large amount of food was roasted and eaten. However, it all went into their stomachs, so they didn't lose anything.
When the bonfire party ended, Xiao Bei's group of nine set off, leaving behind a bit of cement for the people of Tonghua County to see. More cement needed to be brought to Weizhou. Weizhou had more people and merchants than Tonghua County, so it was suitable for Wenshan to advertise.
The people of Tong Zhou were still in a happy mood, so they didn't expect Xiao Bei's group to leave just like that. Seeing their troop gradually leave and disappear into the night, the people suddenly felt that the night sky was no longer as bright as before. It was so cold and lonely.
"Gone?" The little girl who had pulled Xiao Bei to talk to her when she was beating people spoke with tears in her eyes.
"Gone. If you want to see each other again, study hard. When you've learned enough, go help Xiao Bei," the little girl's father said as he rubbed his daughter's head.
*****
"Earning fun, the Chen family is really rich, and there are so many valuable things that are all ours. I definitely won't give them to Uncle Emperor. Let's discuss how to use them. It's estimated to be more than 600,000 strings of cash. That's a large sum of money. Colluding with the enemy is a shortcut to riches. "
Xiao Bei was already used to parting. She turned the sadness of each breakup into sweet memories. At the very least, she smiled.
It was the same for Xiaoyuan and the rest. Just like the lyrics in the song her brother sang for her, when tomorrow becomes yesterday, and yesterday becomes a fragment of memory, tears and smiling faces are not forever; when meeting again becomes goodbye, and seeing again becomes distant longing, the peace of the heart is forever.
"600,000 strings of cash. It's not too much, but it's not too little either. There are ways to spend it, but the money comes from confiscating property. Logically speaking, it belongs to the imperial court," Xiao Yuan said softly. He didn't sound like he wanted to hand it over, but he felt like he couldn't find an excuse or reason to keep it.
Xiao Bei curled her lips. "I don't want to give the money to Minister of Revenue Wang Bei. He leads a group of people to oppose our father. Our father is an upright official, but that doesn't mean we're as honest. I won't give it, I definitely won't. Besides, logically speaking, our official robes need to be paid for by the imperial court. We also need a salary. Have you ever taken money from the imperial court?
When Uncle Emperor travels to other places, he has to pay for the food on the way. When have you ever seen him come to our family's restaurant and talk about paying the bill?
Now that we have all left the capital, I suspect that Wang Bei will be ready to make a move. I don't know how many obstacles he will create for my father behind his back. When we return, I want to let him know that not only does he know how to play dirty tricks, we also know how to play tricks in a fair and square manner. "
"It's restless. It's better to describe it as flowing water," Xiaoyuan corrected.
"Wang Bei's evil thoughts are like flowing water, gurgling, gurgling, gurgling. Isn't our father at a disadvantage when facing him?" Xiao Bei took Xiao Yuan's explanation and directly used it.
"It's your father, not mine. My father's surname is Wang," Xiaoyuan corrected.
"Remember what you said. Don't call me father in the future." Xiao Bei turned his head in a fit of pique.
"Yes, my name is Father-in-law."
"How shameless."
"Only a diplomat like you can say something like that."
"I think it's better to use this money to organize a children's activity." Xiao Hai saw that his sister and his future brother-in-law were quarreling again, so he interjected.
When the others' attention was on him, he explained, "Children will be selected from various places in the Tang Empire based on their education level to participate in the state-level competition. After that, they will go to the capital for the finals and provide rewards to the winners. At the same time, the children who come to the capital will be organized to go on a trip to our Sanshui County."
"What's the use? I think other than spending money, it's just spending money. It's called spending money for the sake of spending money. It's better to directly buy a batch of things and send them to various places. Even if it's just a piece of clothing, it's still good. 600,000 strings of coins, it's enough to let my family's clothing store make it with a small profit. "
Xiao Bei started to be pragmatic again.
"I agree with Xiao Bei's words." Xiao Yuan wanted to vote.
Xiao Hai ignored Xiao Yuan. When did you not agree with Xiao Bei's words?
He continued, "If we really want to send clothes to all the children in the Tang Empire, we just need to take out a little of our precious candy house's money. Brother said that the motivation for social development and advancement comes from human desires, or perhaps biological instincts. Plants know how to grow toward the sun, animals know how to occupy territory, and humans naturally compare. The happiness of humans lies in how many resources you have that others need.
The purpose of the competition is not friendship, but competition. It promotes the individuals involved in the competition to work hard to master the skills that can win the competition. Children also need to compete.
The most important thing is that the children who come to the capital will be able to meet the emperor. Then, when they go back, they will naturally spread the news, which is conducive to consolidating the centralization of power. At the same time, it will also attract the attention of the local authorities to children's education. "
After Xiao Hai finished speaking, the others fell into deep thought.
Only Xiao Bei didn't even think about it. He directly praised, "Brother, what you said is really too good. It's like the North Star guiding me forward in the dark night. It's like a lighthouse escorting me in the middle of the sea. It's like the sweet dew in a land of drought. It's like an oasis in the desert. It's also like the burning charcoal in the ice and snow. It's like the floating clouds and the light breeze on the horizon.
Xiao Yuan listened in a daze. He originally thought that his literary talent was the best among the nine of them, but he did not expect that Xiao Bei would be able to outdo him today.
Xiao Hai really did not know what to do with this little sister of his. He sighed, "If you think it's okay, we will send a telegram to the capital now and let the emperor pass the order down."
The remaining eight children nodded. In any case, the money was stolen, so it would be a waste not to spend it.
In the midst of the beeping sound, the telegram was sent out. After being relayed, it was believed that it would soon reach the palace.
"I suddenly thought of a question." Xiao Bei saw that the telegram was sent out and suddenly said, "If the officials and squires below know that the children can meet the emperor, will they cheat?"
Xiao Yuan smiled reservedly, "Would they dare? Do they think that the various telegram departments are just decorations? Normally, the common people can endure a little grievance, but when it comes to the issue of children being able to meet the emperor, who dares to do anything? They will send a telegram to report it. Would the local yamen dare to put the telegram department under surveillance? "
The others shook their heads. The telegram department in each place was administratively independent. Everyone could use it, but they were not allowed to interfere. For those who interfered with the telegram department, the court would infer that they were concealing information and had bad intentions.
Normally, every telegram department would make three secret code reports a day so that people could be sure that there was no problem. If there was one missing, the court would immediately send a report to the surrounding telegram departments and authorize them to mobilize the local yamen to investigate to see if there was a problem with the equipment or if the personnel had gone on a business trip.
Just like the beacon tower in the past, it was lit once every morning and evening. If one pillar went up, it meant that it was safe. The other pillars and the order in which they were lit represented different meanings, but if the beacon tower did not have smoke, there would be a fast horse to check the situation.
*****
When Li Longji woke up this morning, he was not used to it. The actions of the concubines beside him made him feel awkward. Last night did not seem to be enough fun.
Sitting by the bed and thinking about it, Li Longji finally understood why. A few days ago, his Empress Wang and Wu Huifei had left the capital for Sanshui County. At first, he felt that it was quite interesting to lose two people that he could usually see, but now he suddenly felt that something was missing from his side.
"Xiao Bao was right. A habit is indeed an uncontrollable fluctuation of the heart. It is even harder to control than anger and joy. You two can play. Are you bullying me because I can't go out? When you come back, see how I deal with you. "
Li Longji muttered as he thought about it. Then, he had someone put on his clothes.
There was no court today, so there was plenty of time. After washing up, Li Longji decided to have a good breakfast. He instructed the eunuch beside him, "Tell the imperial kitchen to send fried cakes and mutton soup."
"Your Majesty, there are no fried cakes today," the eunuch replied nervously.
Li Longji looked over and asked with his eyes.
"Yesterday afternoon, Xinluo presented a notice saying that our Bohai Commander-In-Chief's Manor had stolen many of Xinluo's citizens. They wanted you to issue an edict ordering Jiedushi Zhang to return them. The measures were a bit strong, which made you angry. When the blood pressure was measured, it was slightly higher, so they adjusted the diet.
Today, your breakfast is a stall's flatbread, the kind that does not use oil and adds some cornmeal. There is also a bowl of wild vegetable soup. The side dishes are cucumber with garlic, cold celery, blanched bitter melon, and old vinegar radish skin. If you feel that it is not enough, you can add sesame paste powder skin and kelp knot. "
The eunuch's reply was more and more cautious. He couldn't help but swallow his saliva. He had not eaten breakfast himself.
Li Longji did not immediately speak. Instead, he lowered his head and thought for a while. Suddenly, he smiled and said, "Ever since Xiao Bao and the others came up with a health system, I have not been able to eat anything for a day. Can I apply to have you make me an extra roasted eggplant?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." The eunuch ran out. He did not dare to say that he was helping to apply. If His Majesty wanted to eat more, then so be it. Eggplant was a vegetarian dish.
When Li Longji was eating, Gao Lishi came. He had lost some weight. He was probably busy repairing the palace recently.
"Have you eaten, Lishi?" Li Longji picked up his chopsticks and asked Gao Lishi.
"Your Majesty, I just ate with the people who worked last night. The dishes were not bad. There were braised pork knuckles and stewed chicken legs. Each of them also had a tael of white wine. I drank two taels of wine and ate three big steamed buns. Your Majesty, why are you eating so lightly?"
After Gao Lishi finished speaking, he looked at Li Longji's pitiful breakfast.
Li Longji ate a piece of eggplant and drank a mouthful of wild vegetable soup. He sighed and said, "They said that I was angry yesterday and my blood pressure was high. Naturally, my breakfast became like this. In fact, I was not angry yesterday. I was happy. The approximate number that Xinluo officials calculated was that their people were pulled over by Xiao Bao and Cuckoo.
But I know that the actual number is more than 1.2 million. This is because when some people came over, they still had family members at home. When they checked, their family members would definitely say that they were at home and had gone out to do something. When those people who did not bring their family members settled down, their family members would also come over. At that time, it would not be 1.2 million.
Tell me, how can I not be happy? The heavens blessed my Tang Empire and sent Xiao Bao and Cuckoo here. Tell me, what would have happened if they had been born in Xinluo? "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
