Chapter 1280 Jiangzhou in the Eyes

Chapter 1280 Jiangzhou in the Eyes

Chapter 1280 Jiangzhou in the Eyes

The shrill chirping of cicadas in the old locust tree broke the silence.

Just at this time, palace servants brought various things needed for Xia Tian. The three of them came to their senses and started to make small talk.

"Is this a ramie shirt?" Ying picked up a finished shirt, feeling a little uncomfortable.

This shirt has too little silk thread. It is thin and transparent, and when worn like this, the flesh color is faintly visible, which is even more tempting than not wearing anything. She would never dare to wear it outside.

"Let's eat first." Shi said suddenly.

The palace servants had also brought dinner. Ying put down her banana shirt, opened the food box, and placed the food on the stone table in the courtyard.

The weather gets hot early, so it’s more comfortable to eat in the courtyard.

Wang also reacted, moving to the stone table as if in slow motion and slowly sitting down.

Apart from a few side dishes, there was only porridge on the table. She froze.

"Little slave, you were born in Wu, how come you don't even know what your father and grandfather used to eat?" Shi was supported by Ying, and she slowly sat down and said.

The voice was not loud, but it contained a hint of reproach.

Wang Jianji was a little confused. Can I blame myself for this? My father and grandfather were from Taiyuan, but she was not.

Her parents and grandfather changed their eating habits after crossing the river, so she has never eaten these things since she was a child. How can she adapt to it?

Seeing the little girl like that, a trace of sadness slowly emerged on Shi's face, which made Wang Jianji stunned, while Ying lowered her head.

"Although I ate it when I was young, I seldom ate it in the twenty years since I crossed the Yangtze River." Shi shed a few tears and said, "When I first came here, I saw the people of Liang using Kuaiji celadon cups to serve this porridge, and the furnishings in the room were also many old things from the south of the Yangtze River. I felt sad. I was so ashamed and angry that I wanted to die..."

After saying that, he wiped away his tears.

Wang Jianji's eyes turned red, as if she was thinking of the nightmare-like incident that had happened before.

"One day, I saw many well-dressed gentlemen doing hard labor, and they were suffering terribly, so I wanted to do something for them." Shi said, "If I can persuade Emperor Liang to pardon them, what will my reputation mean? Let people scold me, I deserve to die. If I can save more people from suffering, even if ten times more people scold me, what does it matter? Anyway, I have already lost my face because I have devoted myself to the enemy."

"Noble Concubine Shi..." Fourteen-year-old Wang Jianji was full of emotions, tears falling down her face.

At this moment, she finally understood Shi Guipin's sadness, helplessness and greatness.

"Luzhi's father was a copyist in the Shaofu. He copied during the day, at night, and until late at night. He did this every day until his pen was worn out. He was exhausted and almost wanted to commit suicide." Shi sighed and said, "I thought I had already lost my virginity and had no face, so I persuaded the emperor to pardon Ying Gong. Fortunately, he agreed and he went to Jiangzhou to serve as an official."

Upon hearing this, Ying looked at Concubine Shi with gratitude.

She knew more than Wang Jianji, and she also knew that Concubine Shi was not what she seemed, but in this matter, she was very grateful to her.

At that time, she heard that her father copied various books and documents every day, often until late at night. After several months, his waist and neck were very uncomfortable, and his eyesight was not very good. She was helpless and could only cry secretly.

Shi Guipin was pregnant at the time. After knowing the situation, she comforted her and took the opportunity when the emperor came to visit her to ask for pardon of Ying Xuan. The emperor agreed because of the child in Shi Guipin's belly.

Not only was he granted the post of Jiangzhou Zhizhong, but he was also given a piece of land to pass on to future generations.

After this incident, she was completely devoted to Concubine Shi and also felt somewhat grateful to the emperor.

Shi Guipin privately told her that they should unite, because she heard that most of the women in the emperor's harem were older. If these women from a fallen country could gain the emperor's favor, they could save more people, not just their families, but also their relatives.

Ying knew that things were not that simple, but as a woman, what could she do in such a situation? How uncomfortable it would be if she didn't lie to herself.

"Ah? Ying Gong is now the governor?" Wang Jianji asked in surprise.

After saying this, she felt a little sad. Several people in her family were still working as clerks, and they were probably suffering as much as Ying Gong had done in the past.

"Hmm." Ying responded and gently stirred the porridge in the bowl, which seemed to make it more delicious.

Now that her family's problems had been resolved, she felt much relieved. Now she was the only one left in the "sea of ​​suffering".

However, the man stared at her many times with a look of amazement in his eyes, and just now he softened his heart because of her, which made Ying feel somewhat happy, but she carefully hid this feeling in her heart and didn't let anyone find out.

"Isn't Luling County very remote?" Wang Jianji asked, "Can we farm there?"

Shih put away her sad face and said, "Luling has ten counties and more than ten thousand households after all, it's not that bad. Besides, the manor has already been divided into a certain area, mostly mountains, forests, rivers and lakes, with not much flat land. The food produced is barely enough to feed the family, so I'm afraid they can only make a living by farming."

"Yeah." Ying agreed softly, saying, "Before my father left, he looked at me and said that it was a county of the Jin Dynasty. After the owner's title was stripped, he gave it to my family. There are too many counties like this in Jiangzhou, and most of them are now taken by the court."

"Then why don't you give me better land?" Wang Jianji asked stupidly.

Ying was silent for a moment, then said, "Father said he would send my fourth and fifth brothers to Luling to study the principles of the Great Dao while managing the family."

Wang Jianji didn't understand again.

However, neither Ying nor Shi gave any explanation.

These women of a fallen country had a hard time, and neither did the gentlemen of a fallen country. In short, even if the scholars who had fled south had relatives in the north, they still carried a heavy political burden and were generally viewed with strange eyes.

If you want to turn things around, the best way is to please the current emperor.

Ying Xuan copied various documents all day long, and the Wanxiangyuan meeting was in full swing. In addition, he could hear some other people's discussions in the government office, so he was not unfamiliar with external affairs. Letting his two sons study the so-called Taoism was actually a kind of political speculation, hoping to improve the situation of the Nandun Ying family - no, it should be called the Luling Ying family now.

Wang Jianji was still too young to understand these things.

Ying was not very old, only seventeen or eighteen years old, but she was involved in the matter and had a deeper understanding of it.

Shi was a woman of forty, and she had a noble status in the past, so she was naturally proficient in these things.

After the three of them finished eating the porridge, palace servants came to clean up.

Shi sat down under the tree, feeling the evening breeze, and subconsciously stroked her belly with both hands.

Ying ordered Wang Jianji to make tea.

The little girl was stunned for a moment, then did as she was told.

Ying sat next to Shi again, and they both looked at the sunset in the sky together.

"Noble Concubine Shi, if my family is pardoned in the future, will they also go to Jiangzhou?" Looking at Wang Jianji's busy figure, Ying asked softly.

"Most likely." Shi said, "Didn't you hear it that day?"

Ying nodded slightly.

I don't know what happened, but the main house where they lived was very tall, large and spacious. I heard that it was built with giant Taihang trees that were washed down by the flood in Hebei that year. It is very difficult to find such large pillars now.

Since the house is big, we have no choice but to live together.

The emperor would come occasionally and chat with Concubine Shi. Sometimes he would unbutton her skirt and put his ear to her belly, saying that he wanted to listen to the movements of his child.

In addition to these things, Jiangnan will also be mentioned.

Once the emperor said that after conquering the south of the Yangtze River, many scholars in the north fought for land in Yangzhou, but he took Jiangzhou alone and took the largest share - in fact, he did not take it alone, but he did take a large part.

The reason is very simple. There are a lot of dukes, county lords, and county marquises in Jiangzhou, and they are very concentrated. The court can't collect much taxes. When Wang Bin was stationed in Jiangzhou, he had to use military ships to engage in business and find ways to make money, otherwise he couldn't afford to support the army.

At that time, ironware from Poyang was transported to Badong, and then salt and Sichuan specialties were transported back from the local area, making huge profits and becoming famous far and wide.

Moreover, Jiangzhou has convenient transportation. Even Luling County, where her family has recently settled, has a waterway (Gan River, which was the Hu Han River in the Han Dynasty) directly connected to the Yangtze River.

For the same goods, the cost of transporting them by horse and carriage is more than thirty times that of transporting them by water, which is simply appalling.

The emperor said that it was a "god's gift" for Jiangzhou to have such a north-south river that collected and transported grain and wealth from various counties.

If the river is dredged properly, straightened and some dangerous shoals transformed, the role it will play in the future will be unimaginable.

A hundred years later, Jiangzhou might become an important granary of the Daliang Dynasty, a place with "abundant resources, outstanding people and beautiful scenery".

"Next time he comes, find an opportunity to serve him." Shi added, "After you have a child, your situation will be much better."

Ying was a little embarrassed and hummed softly, "I will listen to you, Your Highness."

She had taken care of Shi for a long time, and Shi had indeed helped her, so the awkwardness between them was no longer that great. It was embarrassing, and it would not change even after five or ten years, but it was certainly not unacceptable.

To put it bluntly, she just couldn't let go in front of the newcomer Wang Jianji.

"What has your Majesty been doing these days? You are always busy." Ying suddenly asked.

Shi glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and said casually, "There should be a lot to do, including the debate in Wanxiang Court, pacifying Jiangnan, the summer harvest in May, and the resettlement of the government soldiers."

Ying looked at Shi with some admiration.

She could not analyze anything from the emperor's few words, but Concubine Shi had a keen sense of smell and could often figure out something.

Recently, two more military offices have indeed been established, namely Qishui Longxiang Office in Xinping County.

The area was originally occupied by a part of the Xiongnu, but later Jin Zhun took away a group of people, and there were not many left, so Shao Xun moved them to Yiyang County. The Xiongnu were unwilling, but with only 20,000 people in total, they were forced to move south by the Chang'an Shibing, which had expanded to more than 20,000 people under Jin Zheng's command.

After the place was vacated, the government soldiers were accommodated.

In the south, near Huaiyuan at the northern foot of Tongbai Mountain in Yiyang County, the Huaidu Longxiang Prefecture was established.

At this point, the five counties of Nanyang, Shunyang, Yiyang, Xinye and Sui in the north of Jingzhou had a total of 99600 soldiers from the eight Longxiang Prefectures of Xianshan, Huihu, Fancheng, Zhongwu, Huaidu, Lixiang, Lexiang and Gucheng, who were organized into the Zuo Shenwu Guard. The total number of soldiers in the country reached .

When Shao Xun first said "one hundred thousand government soldiers", it was actually only more than 80,000, which was called "rounding off". Now it is truly one hundred thousand!
After a while, Wang Jianji prepared the tea and brought it over respectfully.

Shi motioned her to sit down and took her hand, saying in a heavy tone: "We are all miserable people. Listen to me in the future, and I will definitely be able to save your family."

Wang Jianji hummed.

She remembered again how her father had asked her brother to kill all the women in the family, and she almost cried. No one cared about me.

"The emperor will not come today." Shi said, "Rest early, I have nothing to do here."

(End of this chapter)