Chapter 497 Qi

Chapter 497 Qi

Chapter 497 Qi
It rained last night and I could still feel a slight chill when I woke up in the morning.

From a corner of Hualin Garden, there was a messy sound of tilling the soil.

Sima Chi waved a rake and turned over the land covered with flowers and plants.

The palace maids watched from the sidelines, all in silence.

Minister of the Interior Liu Tun, Grand Commandant Wang Yan, Minister of the Chancellery Yu Min, and General of the Guard Liang Fen all watched with their eyes twitching.

The precious flowers and plants that took many years to transplant from various places during the reign of Emperor Wu are now torn to pieces under the emperor's rake.

The emperor wanted to grow vegetables to solve the food problem, and in order to set an example, he even razed a garden to the ground, which made people speechless.

This land has been growing flowers and plants for many years. Will it be helpful if you plow it now?
"The gardens are so barren, no wonder there is a shortage of food in the capital." Sima Chi said as he turned the soil, "If all officials and ministers could work like me and earn their own living, how could they be controlled by treacherous officials and villains?"

He was a little out of breath when he spoke.

After all, he was a weak man, and it was impossible for him to work hard like the old farmer. After turning the fields for a while, Sima Chi felt a little tired and didn't want to do it anymore, but for the sake of face, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

"It's almost late spring, and the farming season is tight. I want to plant some vegetables and melons, and I'll invite you to share with me."

"Some people say that vegetables cannot be grown on this land. That's nonsense. Dozens of flowers and plants can thrive with rain and dew, sun and moon. If I plant melon seedlings, they will also bear abundant fruits."

"Working on the land can also cleanse you from worldly troubles and purify your character, which is exactly what you need most."

"Rice will be grown over at Tianyuan Pond. After the autumn harvest, I can even fall asleep smelling the fragrance of rice and no longer be threatened by traitors."

The emperor was talking to himself, but his breath was getting heavier and heavier, and he was sweating profusely, and his face turned pale.

This job is so difficult!

Growing some vegetables and melons is so difficult and requires so much sweat. How tiring would it be to grow millet, wheat, or rice?

"What's the use of these orchids? It's better to plant some spring chives. I am the ruler of the world, accomplished in both civil and military affairs, and farming is also..." As he spoke, his hands began to tremble and sweat kept pouring down.

"Your Majesty." Wang Yan signaled with his eyes, and the palace servants immediately stepped forward and supported the emperor.

The emperor's sweat was no longer an ordinary flow, it was an unstoppable flow, as if as long as he moved a little, the sweat would flow down like a stream.

"Your Majesty, please take a rest." Liang Fen could not help but advise: "Everyone in the world should do their job. Farmers irrigate the gardens and cultivate the fields, warriors wield their weapons and fight bravely, and the emperor should sit high in the Mingtang and handle state affairs."

"Have you fulfilled your duties, Mr. Liang?" The emperor put down his rake, panted, and said in a sarcastic tone.

Sweat washed away the powder on her face, leaving funny marks.

My temple was throbbing as if it was about to explode.

My hands and feet are weak and sore, and they keep shaking.

Of all his body, only his mouth remained tough.

Liang Fen was speechless.

No matter what the emperor said or scolded him, he remained silent, because he had indeed failed to live up to the emperor's will, and there was no excuse for that.

Today, the emperor summoned several important ministers to answer questions and was ready to announce his ambitions. For some reason, he also called him here.

Liang Fen didn't care. She just went to court and acted like a wooden man.

You can scold me if you want, it won’t hurt me at all.

If being scolded a little could make the emperor calm down, he wouldn't mind at all.

The emperor got angry when he saw Liang Fen's calm and unafraid look.

After being helped to sit on the couch by the palace servants, he kept talking: "I trusted your loyalty in vain, but when the traitors led their army to arrive, you surrendered without firing a single arrow. Tell me, are you worthy of my trust?"

Liang Fen sighed.

When the emperor saw this, he became even angrier. Just as he was about to say something else, he felt hungry.

It turned out that he had not eaten much in the past two days and had just done a lot of physical work. He could not hold on any longer and was a little anxious due to hunger.

As for why they didn't eat much, well, he personally issued an edict to "reduce one meal" as an example, in order to reduce the grain distribution of officials and soldiers to "weather the difficult times together."

To put it bluntly, he didn't want to be blackmailed by Shao Xun and was angry with him.

But people are made of iron and rice is made of steel, and if they don't eat, they will be hungry. The emperor has been living a life of luxury since he was a child, and has not experienced the hardships of wandering and starving. He takes some things for granted, and today he has learned his lesson.

His stomach was growling with hunger, and it was not yet noon. According to the rules he set, he had to wait until sunset to have his second meal. What should he do?

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. The more anxious he became, the hungrier he became. The hungrier he became, the more dizzy he became. In the end, he could only swallow his saliva to barely suppress the hunger in his stomach.

The palace servants have taken over his work and continue to plow the fields.

In a well-maintained flower bed nearby, someone had begun transplanting vegetable seedlings.

The emperor stared at the green sprouts, his mind becoming a little dazed.

"Your Majesty." Wang Yan came over and said softly, "I have heard that the king loves people and cares for their suffering from hunger and cold. Now in Henan counties, famine is everywhere; the people in and outside Luojing are having a hard time getting food; the ministers and officials are worried about the lack of food and salary; the soldiers in the central army are suffering from hunger and epidemics."

At this point, a look of compassion emerged on Wang Yan's face.

Emperor Sima Chi felt worried when he heard this, and his stomach growled again.

Wang Yan seemed unaware and continued, "When a king rules the world, he should be generous with titles and salaries and have no doubts about his subjects. This way, the country will be at peace and the upper and lower classes will be harmonious—"

"Enough!" Sima Chi couldn't bear to listen any longer and sneered, "Don't you just want me to approve the list? Why are you saying so much?"

Wang Yan heard this, but shook his head gently and said, "Your Majesty has not understood my intention. Please be patient and let me tell you everything."

"It's fine for the common people, but the food and wages of the officials and soldiers cannot be cut any more."

"If you demote all officials, they will abandon Luoyang and flee. These are all great men of the country. If we take Xuchang, Xuchang will become more powerful and just like the imperial court." "The soldiers in the central army cannot be demoted. If they are short of food, their strength will be greatly reduced and their morale will be completely gone. I heard that Wang Mi has been cultivating the land and training the troops in Hongnong County day and night. If the enemy attacks, who will repel the enemy?"

"Does Lord Chen really have second thoughts? I don't think so. If he did, he would have surrendered to the Xiongnu long ago, and Liu Cong would have been treated as a guest of honor. The prince would have been easy to obtain."

"Whenever Luoyang was in danger, Lord Chen always showed his righteousness and bravery and led his troops to fight. It is said that in the frost and snow, the heart of pine and bamboo can be seen. Your Majesty, why do you doubt it? The title and official position are awarded to meritorious soldiers, and talents are selected for the country. These people also appreciate your majesty's kindness. Isn't it beautiful?"

Sima Chi's head was buzzing with hunger, and he could not stand Wang Yan's chatter any longer. He said angrily, "What you said earlier made some sense, but you are trying to justify Shao Xun later. Wang Yifu, you are from an aristocratic family, but you are so shameless as to cling to a military slave. Do you have any shame?"

Wang Yan had a rather unyielding demeanor. Hearing the emperor's words, he immediately said, "Since Your Majesty thinks it makes sense, why don't you try to find a solution? How many people can be supported by growing melons and vegetables in the palace? I'm afraid it can't even support the concubines in Zhaoyang Palace. Your Majesty is busy with all kinds of affairs and paperwork every day. How can cutting down on a meal benefit your health? In the long run, won't it make your relatives sad and your enemies happy?"

"I can't swallow this." Sima Chi said angrily.

When he heard the news that Shao Xun led his troops to Wanxia and Liang Fen surrendered, it was like a bolt from the blue, which struck him hard on the outside and tender on the inside.

Liang Fen actually didn't dare to confront Shao Xun head-on? Was he afraid? He must be afraid, right?
What about preserving the vitality of the world? That's bullshit.

It would be better if the vitality of the world was dissipated, leaving Shao Xun with a mess and letting him worry about it.

Since the people cannot be owned by me, and the scholars cannot be used by me, then what is the point of having scholars and people? Death is not a pity!

In short, he was very disappointed with Liang Fen, extremely disappointed, and even suspected that Liang Fen had secretly defected to Shao Xun.

Today he will issue an order to deprive Liang Fenwei of his post as general. How could someone recommend him as Sikong? What a joke.

If Liang Fen can become Sikong, who will be willing to work hard in the future?
In addition, there was a moment when he had the idea of ​​deposing the queen, but in the end he had some concerns and did not put it into practice. However, it was inevitable that he would beat and scold Liang Lanbi - she deserved it, so if anyone was to be blamed, he should blame Liang Fen.

Anyway, he couldn't swallow this, and he became even more frightened.

His so-called anger and sneer were just to cover up his inner insecurity.

"Your Majesty, you are aware that several people have resigned today. If we delay any further, there will be almost no one left in the court." Wang Yan secretly observed Sima Chi's expression, added fuel to the fire, and said.

Sima Chi was stunned. Resign?

From what Wang Yan said, it seemed that all the court officials were about to run away.

But it's not impossible. If there's not enough food, why stay here?

He became irritated again.

How did the thief Shao always catch him at his weak spot? Without the support of all officials, would the emperor still be the emperor?
"There are countless soldiers of the imperial guards who have fled." Wang Yan continued, "If someone flees to the Xiongnu and tells them that there is a shortage of food in the capital, Your Majesty, do you think the Xiongnu army will come to attack? Are there any troops to help the king?"

Sima Chi shuddered subconsciously.

He had to admit that what Wang Yan said made some sense.

The reason why the Huns did not attack Luoyang was purely because there were more than 20,000 imperial guards there. If they defended the city, it would be difficult to capture it.

But if the soldiers defending the city are not well fed, their morale is low, and people are deserting every day, do you think they will come?

The possibility exists, and it is not small.

Will Shao Xun come to save him at this time? Logically speaking, he would, but can you gamble on such a thing?
He found that he didn't seem to have much ability to resist.

Luoyang continued to starve, and in the end the ministers, officials, and soldiers hated him.

"Hmph, just a small matter. You guys can handle it yourselves." Sima Chi's stomach growled again, which greatly reduced his prestige and made him a little embarrassed.

"Your Majesty is wise." Wang Yan bowed.

Sima Chi didn't want to stay in this place anymore, so he stood up and left.

When they arrived at Zhaoyang Palace, they saw the Queen carrying a food box, her face showing a mixture of heartache, pity and - fear.

Sima Chi got angry all of a sudden.

The Liang family father and daughter are really good at pretending!

One deceives me outside, and the other deceives me inside. Okay, that's great.

"Pa!" A hard slap was thrown, knocking Queen Liang to the ground.

"Bitch!" Sima Chi yelled angrily and left.

Liang can no longer be used, so we have to pick some new people and entrust them with important tasks.

After returning to the palace, he thought about it carefully and decided that perhaps he could recruit some more people from the governor.

Recently, someone recommended Zu Ti, the General Zhendong and Jijiu, to him, saying that Zu Ti had strategic plans and the potential to be a great general.

Sima Chi thought about it and decided that the position of Central Guard General was now vacant, so he might as well give it a try.

But how can we spread the message?
In order to eat, all the civil and military officials would not stand on his side even though they were not very satisfied with Shao Xun.

There are indeed loyal ministers, and it is possible to rely on them to convey messages, but the imperial edict will definitely not be able to pass the court.

All he could pass on now was the so-called "secret decree" that had not been refuted by the Secretariat. It was hard to say whether others would obey the order or not. After all, even if he entered the capital, Zu Ti could not become the Central Guard General without the approval of the Ministry of Personnel.

Alas! The emperor was in a panic. Shao Xun's capture of Wancheng was like adding another rope around the neck of the Jin Dynasty, and he was one step closer to death.

As for the so-called "abdication", he didn't dare to gamble, nor did he believe it, and he was even more unwilling to accept it.

If it really doesn’t work - I don’t know if I can escape from the capital.

But I also feel that it is unlikely and it is really difficult.

A long sigh was heard in the hall.

(End of this chapter)