Boundless dark clouds,
Lightning snakes darted around,
Rolling up and down, pressing down heavily. The sky and the earth seemed to be very close in an instant. So close that a person stood in it,
As small as a speck of dust.
Empress Lillian stood by the door of the bedchamber,
Listening to the rumbling thunder, she shivered. Perhaps it was her childhood and teenage years spent in the monastery,
Leaving a problem behind,
She was afraid of thunder.
She whispered to her palace maid, "Where's His Majesty?"
"His Majesty said,
Please don't wait for him tonight. "
The Empress asked, "Why is His Majesty so busy recently? Is it because of the war? "She wrapped her shawl tightly around her body,
She couldn't stop trembling slightly.
For her, even the mention of the word "war" reminded her of the countercurrent of the dinner party,
She couldn't help but be afraid.
The maid advised her, "Your Highness,
Come in, please. Don't worry about these things. In the bedchamber,
His Majesty has ordered a famous tailor to make a new batch of clothes,
It was made from the latest fabric shipped from overseas. You can try them on to relieve your boredom. His Majesty also asked someone to buy the latest novels,
You can take a look. A batch of exquisite jewelry has been offered outside the palace,
A new perfume has been made, and you can dress up. "
"But,
I'd rather not have these things. I only want him. "The gentle Empress was unhappy,
It was rare for her to muster up her courage,
He said something from the bottom of his heart.
The maid said, "Your Highness, a woman should not be so greedy for her husband that she hinders his career. You can go into the hall. "
The Empress had long been lost in thought. She leaned against the door and said to herself, "Hathaway must be by His Majesty's side and talking to him about government affairs. How good! As a woman, she can often see His Majesty … Annie is also good. She can come and go at will and express her love to others … "
"Your Highness!" The maid's voice suddenly became sharp, and a bolt of thunder flashed.
The Empress was shocked. Only then did she realize what she had said, and she trembled even more.
"Your Highness, you are the model of all women in the world. How can you envy those who rebel and show their faces everywhere? Behind their backs, they would all be criticized. His Majesty treats you so well, all the more reason for you to be a good Empress. "
One was a vicious woman who interfered in the affairs of the imperial court, while the other was a licentious widow who befriended the royal family. If he said it, his mouth would be dirty.
The maid was sent by the Empress's family to teach her. She was the most orthodox noble woman. Some words couldn't be said, so she hid her disdain and only advised her, "You should go into the hall."
"Good, good," murmured the Queen, bowing her head, as if to atone for her unwitting admiration, and hurrying through the door.
But in the luxurious bedroom, in the face of the sweet and gorgeous dress, the exquisite perfume in the crystal bottle, and the custom-made jewelry in the jewelry box, all these luxuries that she had always liked suddenly became tasteless.
She didn't know if it was because of the tight corset or because her heart was suffocating.
She couldn't help but think of the time when she and Allen had met when they were young, and of their wedding.
"Obviously, I only want him." The Empress muttered to herself.
Why was it that even now, she was still following the rules? Nominally, she was the closest person to him, but she was getting further and further away from him?
The torrential rain finally fell. The night gradually darkened. Outside the pitch-black window, there was only the sound of the pitter-patter of rain.
Lin Daiyu was drinking a cup of coffee brought by a maid under the light of a lamp. She was bent over the table, writing a new manuscript.
She had already begun to think of a new novel about the war.
"Miss," the maid Mary didn't leave, but called her timidly.
She had always taken good care of her. Ever since that night in the Imperial City, Mary worshipped her even more. She took care of the weak Lin Daiyu in every possible way.
When Lin Daiyu saw her, she often thought of the Purple Cuckoo and Snow Goose, so she treated her very warmly. She put down the pen and asked in a warm voice, "What is it?"
"Miss, when do you think the war will end? When the civil war and foreign wars end, will the Emperor reduce taxes? "
Lin Daiyu said, "This is not up to us to decide. Did something happen to you? "
Mary opened her mouth a few times, then lowered her head. She rubbed her apron, her face was red, and her voice was like a mosquito, "My mother is sick and can't work. In order to save money and avoid illness, the master sent her home. I don't have enough money to support the family. My younger brother is sick from hunger. "
Lin Daiyu was slightly startled. She couldn't help but look at her. She didn't know when, but the rosy and plump Mary's cheeks had sunk in. Her face was yellow, and her clothes seemed to have become baggy.
"What about your father?" In Luster, supporting the family was the main responsibility of the male head of the house.
"My father, he is disabled."
Ever since Mary was sent by Hathaway, she had been loyally taking care of her. Her hands and feet were nimble, and she was quick-witted. When she sent her to give out porridge, she carried it out meticulously and never said a word of nonsense. She gave Mary full authority to arrange the expenses of the house.
However, even though Mary's family was in such a difficult situation, the accounts of the house were never wrong.
She didn't even notice how Mary was gradually becoming thinner.
Lin Daiyu felt very guilty for a moment. She said softly, "Sorry …" She opened the cabinet and took out a cheque. "There is still some money in here. You can use it first …"
"You are a good person. You speak for us poor people and sympathize with us. I know that." Mary waved her hand and took a step back. "But I can't take Miss' money for nothing."
"Then, what do you need help with?" Lin Daiyu said. "As long as it is within my power, I will definitely agree."
Mary was a little embarrassed. "I, I just wanted to ask if you could hire my brother and my father. Although my brother is sick from hunger, he can still do some small work. Although my father is old and disabled, he still has an arm and a leg. He can use a crutch to do some cleaning work. They don't need to be paid. You … you just need to give them some porridge so that they can eat one meal a day. Just like the porridge you gave to the children a few days ago. And … and give me another bowl of porridge to bring back to my mother … "
Her voice became softer and softer, as if she felt that her request was too greedy.
Lin Daiyu said, "Your father and brother can come and work, but I can't promise you two bowls of porridge a day."
Mary's face turned white.
Lin Daiyu said, "The children are still growing. Your father is disabled and weak. One bowl of porridge a day is not enough. In the future, I will have three meals a day. You can eat with me. You can eat whatever I eat. The salary will be paid separately. It's just that, my taste is light and leaning towards the East. You also know that, so please don't dislike it. "
Mary's big eyes were suddenly filled with tears. Lin Daiyu thought that she would cry in the next moment, but she tried hard to hold back her tears. She revealed a big smile. "I will let them work for Miss tomorrow!"
"Wait." Lin Daiyu stopped her as she was about to leave. "I haven't finished speaking. You can also bring your mother over. She is sick and needs her family to take care of her. "
This time, Mary didn't say anything. She just nodded, looked at her deeply, and left with gratitude.
After she left, Lin Daiyu picked up the pen again, wrote a few strokes, and put it down. She put it down and picked up the pen again. Finally, she sighed, pushed away the pen and paper, got up with her hands behind her back, and paced back and forth in front of the desk.
She remembered that at the gathering place today, many ambitious young people gathered together.
They blamed the Emperor and the monopoly system.
"The people are hungry, poor, and depraved! And the endless luxury goods are shipped into the palace to supply his flirtatious wife! "A university student from a small merchant family was indignant.
"He sold monopolies, causing the prices to soar. He increased taxes heavily, and the ship taxes were all collected inland!" The ship merchant's son gritted his teeth.
"If the land income is more than 60 gold, he will be conferred the title of Knight and have to pay the Knight Tribute. Why doesn't he just rob? 60 gold of land annuity is not even enough for us to buy clothes and food, and we still have to pay taxes! "The son of the fallen noble family said.
"He recruited the children of the people to pay with their lives for the civil war he started," the noble said.
In the end, people all said, "This is the consequence of the monarch's unscrupulous behavior. He has increased the burden of the people. "
The civil war was connected to the foreign war. Firearms, ammunition, cannons, guns, and food had to be continuously transported to the front line. The daily expenses of the soldiers could not be underestimated. These burned money like water, and the burden of the country was getting heavier.
The people of Bona were relatively rich, and the family of Mary and her daughter, who used to be maids in a noble family, in the past, even with the burden of the disabled male master, could be considered as not bad in an ordinary family of Bona. But it had all come to this point.
It was easy to imagine what it was like for an ordinary family.
The complaints of the people were increasing, and the voices of dissent could hardly be covered up.
They were indignant, but her worries were different from theirs.
They only knew that Allan I was tyrannical, but she knew the Emperor's true thoughts.
She didn't have much of an opinion about the monarchy. It didn't matter if it was a king or a group of republicans sitting on top. As long as the people below were free, it was the best.
From her perspective as a person from the Central Plains, Allan I had reined in religion and forced the power of the Divine Religion to retreat under the royal power. The abolition of tariffs and the seizure of the power of the nobles to abuse their power in their fiefs were all beneficial to freedom in terms of practical effects.
But the problem was that Allan I didn't really make these decisions for the freedom of the people.
For example, the Qin dynasty was unified, the books were the same, the carriages were on the same track, the fiefs were abolished, and the counties were raised. In the past, the people of the six countries no longer had to suffer from the checkpoints of the six countries and could freely travel between the north, south, east, and west.
This was to set the people free. However, the first emperor set the people free in the end for himself and his descendants to be able to suppress the people for thousands of years.
In order for the emperors to suppress the people for thousands of years, their words carried weight and they sat high on the throne. They needed people to be used to obedience. They had to set up the three cardinal principles and five constant rules. The monarch and his ministers were like father and son, husband and wife, and they ruled layer by layer. Therefore, it was necessary to use the ranks of Confucianism. In order to be stable, everyone's every move was nailed to their respective positions, just like the scholars, farmers, and businessmen of the Central Plains dynasty.
After the internal and external wars, what would the emperor do?
The land of Tai Xi, including Luster, didn't really experience the four seas returning to one. All the land in the world belonged to the king. If the monarch wanted his ministers to die, the ministers had no choice but to die.
What they experienced was a religious monopoly.
Luster didn't have Confucianism to use. If the church was willing to make slight changes, it could replace the position of Confucianism and become the monarch's tool.
Some time ago, she helped Hathaway to preside over Luster's civil official selection exam. In the exam, theology was a necessary exam. The white-robed bishops had now returned to the status quo of living in the palace all year round. They were willing to be ordered around like the Emperor's dogs.
She had once witnessed the revolutionary army destroy the three cardinal principles and five constant rules in the south. She had written for Rakshasa and Shou Yulou. She had also lived in the capital of the Business League, Guangzhou, and felt the passing of the monarch and his minister.
When she thought about how Tai Xi, which she came from afar to search for freedom, was about to become the old dynasty, and then thought about how the Central Plains had been trapped in this monarch and his minister for thousands of years. Lin Daiyu sighed deeply.
She hoped that the Emperor would win the civil war, repel the foreign enemies, and maintain the status quo of abolishing tariffs and taking back the nobles' fiefdoms. However, she also lamented the miserable situation of the thousands of families suffering in taxes. She was even more worried that the Emperor would really win in the future.
When the summer heat gradually subsided, it began to rain continuously.
The war was still in a stalemate. With criticism flying everywhere, there were more and more articles on politics and attacking the Emperor in the newspapers.
Some pamphlets about "equality", "freedom", "hypocrisy", and "republic" began to be widely circulated.
Some writers, such as Okote, wrote a novel that satirized taxes, "Boat Tax".
At the end of October, the Emperor ordered that most newspapers on the market be banned and a censorship system was established. Once uncensored pamphlets and novels were found, the authors, editors, and publishers would be arrested on the spot.
Okote, the chief editor and writer of "Boat Tax", was arrested and bailed out with a large sum of money.
When the order was issued, the atmosphere in Bona immediately became tense. There were only a few tabloids left on the market that focused on women's clothing and vulgar news.
The citizens of Bona satirized it as "a handkerchief to wipe one's ass".
However, discussions in the newspapers were banned. The citizens began to gather in public places to talk about high prices, soaring taxes, and spreading dissatisfaction with the monarchy.
Not long after, the Emperor's police force rushed into a coffee shop and arrested the university students in the coffee shop.
Then, the Emperor issued another order to ban illegal gatherings. Most of Bona's literary salons and tea parties were canceled.
As the situation became more and more tense, a small, uncensored novel began to quietly circulate in the streets.
It was said to be Madam Anna's new work, "Mother's Black Bread", which satirized the pain brought to the people by the war. Because it could not pass the censorship system, it could only be published in private.
But as it spread, somehow, it reached the ears of the royal family.
"Anna, you're taking too much of a risk. It's not like you don't know your reputation. Now is the time when the situation is the most tense. Everyone sees you as a protected person of the royal family, a palace writer. You're a figure in the eyes of the public. If you stand out rashly, the chances of you encountering danger are far greater than other writers. "Ernest and Kleimont heard the news and immediately rushed over to rebuke their friend's recklessness.
"It's not me," Lin Daiyu said.
Kleimont said, "Anna, I've also written novels. I can recognize that it's indeed your writing. "
"I mean," Lin Daiyu frowned, "I haven't sent this manuscript out."
When she found out that her manuscript had been stolen and was privately printed in the streets, it was already too late.
Ernest said, "Have you found out who did it?"
Lin Daiyu shook her head, "It's too late to investigate now."
The room fell into silence for a moment.
With a creak, the door opened. The silence was broken.
A small head popped out. It was a thin little boy about ten years old. He was wearing a ridiculous adult's clothes. The wrists and trousers were all tied up to prevent them from slipping down. He looked like a big sack.
"Miss, Young Master, have some tea." The little boy struggled to bring a tea set over, trembling.
Ernest saw that Lin Daiyu was frowning and found an excuse to change the topic, "You've recruited new servants? Why don't you find a few healthy ones? Look at the old and the young. They don't even have hands and feet. They can't even hold the tea set properly. What kind of work can they do? "
When they entered, they were startled by an old man with only one arm and one leg who opened the door with crutches.
When the little boy heard his words, he was so scared that his face turned pale. It was as if Lin Daiyu was going to fire them in the next moment. He became nervous, "Miss, I can work very well. I can work as well as my sister …"
Lin Daiyu patted the child's hand, "It's okay. You can leave first. In the future, let Mary do this kind of work. "
Lin Daiyu waited for the little boy Arnold to leave in fear before she said, "I didn't summon them to serve me."
Crémont looked at her with a very gentle gaze, as if he was praising her.
Ernest, however, said, "I don't have any other opinions. It's just that how many companies can you save with your strength alone? You're famous for giving out porridge. How much of your royalties and your share of the previous theater performances do you have left? With the recent incident, I don't think any publishing house or theater will dare to ask for manuscripts from you again. Those who publish privately won't send themselves to your door to compensate you. "
Lin Daiyu said, "I know that, but it's not the behavior of a gentleman to leave someone in the lurch. I'll help as much as I can. "
With a reproachful tone, Klemont softly called out his short name, "Ernest."
Ernest hurriedly raised his hand, "Hey, hey, hey, don't make me look like some heartless bad guy. I mean, you have to go back to the source. "
He was originally sitting crookedly, but when he said this, he sat up a little straighter. The indecent expression on his sunny and handsome face also disappeared, "I'm serious, Anna, why don't you join us? In any case, you've already participated in the party, and now you have a reputation. I reckon that the inspection team and the police will come knocking on our door in a few days. It's not safe for you to live here anymore. You might as well join us. We have a few properties in the south. Not to mention others, my family has a secluded villa in the countryside that has always been empty. If you move there, you can bring the old, weak, sick, and disabled with you. Isn't it more comfortable than living under the eyes of the emperor and the Grand Duchess? "
Crémont laughed, "That's what a good person would say."
Lin Daiyu muttered to herself and didn't say anything.
Ernest pretended to be unhappy and laughed exaggeratedly, "Hey, don't tell me you still have fantasies about the emperor? Or are you being polite with me? Sigh, if worst comes to worst, you can change your pen name and write a few novels in the future. You can give me the money when you earn it. Just treat it as rent. "
When Klemont was in university, he studied oriental literature, so he had some understanding of oriental customs. Thus, he said considerately, "If you feel that there's a difference between men and women, there are also a few houses under my deceased mother's name that no one lives in."
Lin Daiyu sighed, "Thank you, my friends. However, that's not what I'm worried about."
"Miss, your letter." At this moment, Mary came up from downstairs and brought a letter, "The messenger said that you have to open it immediately."
It was a letter that was most popular in the boudoirs of the Central Plains. When Lin Daiyu saw it, she had a guess. She didn't hide it from the other two and directly opened it. As expected, it was Xue Baoqin's handwriting. However, the letter was very short and had no format to speak of. The sparse and elegant handwriting was also somewhat sloppy, as if it had been written in a hurry. There were even a few drops of ink on it:
"Seeing the letter, it's as if I've read it.
Sister Lin, leave this place immediately!
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