Chapter 1319 Southwest of Liaohai

Chapter 1319 Southwest of Liaohai
The sky gradually darkened.

Zhuge Wenbao lit the candle, then lay down on the table boredly, looking at his sister with his head tilted.

Zhuge Wenbiao was busy writing at his desk.

She was hurriedly called here in the afternoon and was told that something happened. After arriving here, the emperor handed her a memorial.

Su Jun, the governor of Zhangwu, requested to set up Piaoyujin, dredge and deepen the turbid Zhangshui River, build houses and warehouses on the south bank, and recruit craftsmen to repair and build ships to build a sea port.

The emperor was very interested and raised several key points, including the number of conscripted people, the cost required and the construction time - the latter point was the most important and had to wait until the defeat of Murong Xianbei.

As a female official, Zhuge Wenbiao's task was to organize and polish the key points of the emperor's words, write them into an article, and then submit them.

The work was not very heavy, but Zhuge Wenbiao was very nervous, even too nervous. The slightest disturbance outside would make her very upset.

"Crack! Crack!" The sound of choppers came one after another not far away. It was the laborers chopping straw.

"Clatter! Crackle!" The sound of armor leaves colliding was endless. It was the patrolling soldiers passing by from time to time.

"Sizzle! Sizzle!" The sound was accompanied by a fragrance. It was Tong Qianjin cooking for the emperor on the temporary stove set up by the river.

There was a rustling sound of footsteps, as well as the voices of men and women, which were vague and unclear. It seemed to be the voice of the emperor, and he quickly entered the next tent.

Zhuge Wenbiao put down his pen, feeling uneasy. After waiting for a long time, he breathed a sigh of relief and continued writing.

"Where the port is built, there are goods and trades. Salt from Zhangwu, millet from Hejian, silk from Anping, and iron from Julu all flow upstream, and ships are transported one after another. Merchants gather here, and shops are lined up. The annual imports can be used to feed the three armies, making Hebei the richest place. Moreover, the sea connects to Liaodong, and sables and fine horses come from the east, while silk, cotton, porcelain, and tea go to the west. The profits are a hundred times greater, and the people rely on its abundance..."

Zhuge Wenbiao wrote it very carefully, basically covering the main points of Shao Xun's comments on Su Jun's memorial, and also included some of the content he told her in person.

She thought hard, trying to recall, and was secretly annoyed that Shao Xun had unbuttoned her clothes and used his hands and mouth to help her relieve milk blockage when he told her these things. But she was drowsy at the time and had forgotten a lot.

I was angry and blushing at the same time. I was thinking whether I should ask again. My chest seemed to be swelling again...

"Sister, are you feeling unwell?" asked younger sister Zhuge Wenbao softly.

Zhuge Wenbiao did not answer.

"Oh, if I had known I would have brought Xiaotu with me, you wouldn't have to suffer." Zhuge Wenbao sighed and said, "But he is only six months old, I'm afraid he can't stand the hardship of traveling. It's so difficult."

Zhuge Wenbiao continued writing, turning a deaf ear to the words.

Zhuge Wenbao didn't notice his sister's expression and continued, "Your Majesty is very strong. Sister, your milk blockage will be unblocked in a while."

"Sister, what does it feel like to give birth?"

"Sister, you smiled so gently when you held Xiaotu in your arms."

"Sister, the first thing you called out when you woke up the day before yesterday was 'Your Majesty.'"

"Sister, are you..."

"Shut up!" No matter how indifferent Zhuge Wenbiao's temperament was, he couldn't help but scolded with a red face.

Zhuge Wenbao knew that his sister was embarrassed, so he still leaned over the desk, but changed his direction and looked at the dark tarpaulin in front of him.

There is a door on the cloth that leads directly to the next room.

There seemed to be some movement there, people coming in and out, and the sound of pouring water could be heard from time to time. Could someone be taking a bath?

Zhuge Wenbao's attention was attracted.

Zhuge Wenbiao also noticed the movement, but she forced herself to stay calm and continued writing: "Waterways are crisscrossed, and boats and cars are both convenient. The canal leads to the south, controls Youji in the north, connects to Ye and Luo in the west, and Liaojie in the east. When the spring ice begins to melt, thousands of sails set out; when the autumn floods recede, thousands of chariots rush to gallop. Envoys pass on edicts and travel thousands of miles in an instant; the people of Guizhou trade and migration, day and night. It is truly the key to the Nine Rivers and the collar of Yan and Zhao..."

The sound of water gradually began to be heard from next door.

"Everyone in Jianye says you are dignified and virtuous, and never pretend to be nice to others. Even in the middle of summer, you rarely wear a double crotch, and you cover yourself up tightly." A familiar male voice sounded: "You are naked now, how can I feel that you..."

"Your Majesty, stop talking." A woman sobbed.

There was a sound of splashing water mixed with crackling sounds.

Zhuge Wenbao suddenly sat up straight, his mouth slightly open, seeming extremely surprised.

Zhuge Wenbiao's face turned pale in an instant, and he felt his hand holding the pen go stiff.

"Why do you always hide from Wen Biao?" the man's voice sounded again.

The woman didn't answer, she just sobbed and panted.

After the man urged her again and again, she could only say intermittently: "I am too ashamed to see her."

"that's it?"

"Still...still a little jealous. Your Majesty, you are so good to her."

"Are you a slut? You are her aunt, her elder, but you are competing for favor with her daughter-in-law. You really have no shame."

The woman sobbed and cried, saying, "It was too hard to live in the cold palace before."

"Then why are you dressed so modestly?"

"Well...it's all pretend."

"When you first met me, did you still want to pretend?"

"Well... I couldn't pretend anymore." The woman seemed confused or emotional, and said, "Your Majesty is a great man. I don't want to pretend anymore. If I pretend, I will suffer."

"Wen Biao has already given birth to a child for me, what do you think?"

"Uncomfortable." "How uncomfortable?"

"I just want Your Majesty to favor me."

"Bad maid!"

The sound suddenly became louder.

Zhuge Wenbiao's hand had not been put down for a long time. The words he had just written on the table were a little sloppy and distorted: "The military is in a strategic position, and our safety depends on it. Using the ferry as a fortress can stop the northern barbarians' cavalry; forming a formation of floating boats can control the dangers of the eastern barbarians. Moreover, there are many reed marshes beside the ferry, and the ambushes are hidden behind the oars. The enemy cannot predict it. This is a natural fortress..."

She didn't know what her mood was at the moment, she just felt a little sad, even sadder than when she was caught, so sad that her breathing almost stopped.

Zhuge Wenbao's eyes were wide open with disdain on his face.

She stood up angrily and walked towards the cloth door.

Zhuge Wenbiao seemed to be immersed in his own world, tears could not stop flowing, and he looked miserable and self-pitying.

"Whoosh!" The cloth door was suddenly pulled open by the little female leopard.

Shi was immersed in her own feelings, with an expression as charming as it could be, but suddenly she saw Zhuge Wenbao standing at the door, and her mind went blank.

When he caught a glimpse of Zhuge Wenbiao kneeling in front of the desk, he got goose bumps all over his body and began to tremble uncontrollably.

Shao Xun was also caught off guard, but not by Zhuge Wenbao's intrusion, but by Shi.

Shao Xun secretly said, "It's all over," and couldn't help but throw away his weapons and armor.

Naturally, it was a mess afterwards.

He has to clean up the mess that Shao thief created.

Anyway, that night Shi looked everywhere for Bai Ling and wanted to hang herself.

Especially her fear, charm and the joy that she couldn't suppress at the last moment, as if it burst out from her bones and she couldn't help shouting out loud, were all seen completely by her daughter-in-law. Whenever she thought of this, she didn't want to live anymore.

After being persuaded by Shao Xun to come back, she first burst into tears and was extremely sad. The high and mighty maternal authority in front of the younger generation in the past completely collapsed, and she didn't know how to face the Zhuge sisters.

For a moment, she felt resentful towards Zhuge Wenbiao. Why are you pretending? She even wanted to walk up to her daughter-in-law, slap her hard, and angrily scold her for pretending.

But she didn't dare to do it after all, and the remaining sense of shame prevented her from doing such a thing.

So she felt like she had given up on herself, because she had lost all her dignity...

Shao Xun ran to Zhuge Wenbiao's tent again in the middle of the night.

Wen Biao either covered his face with a quilt or turned his back to her and cried silently.

Zhuge Wenbao was sleeping on another bed and felt a little dissatisfied with Shao Xun, but when he heard him swearing to be good to his sister all his life and coaxing her softly, his anger dissipated a lot.

In the dark night, she opened her big bright eyes and silently watched the scene where Tianzi tried to hug her sister again and again, but was pushed away by her sister every time.

She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt like laughing. But when she thought of Shi, her face fell again. She had never seen such a shameless woman before, and she wanted to slap her in the face on behalf of her sister.

When it was bright, Shao Xun got up sleepily and left the tent.

Tong Qianjin had been on guard outside all night. When he saw the emperor yawning, his face was full of worry and he seemed to want to say something but stopped himself.

Shao Xun laughed and patted Lao Tong on the shoulder, saying, "Get the imperial chariot ready. We won't ride horses today. Let's go to the plains."

"Where is the plain?" Tong Qianjin asked.

"Let's go to Gaotang first." Shao Xun said, "After Gaotang, we will go to Leling and the Bohai Sea coast. Well, before leaving Leling, let the officials of the two counties wait at Wudigou, and you will go and inform Wang Xizhi of the draft order."

"Yes, sir." Tong Qianjin replied.

Wudigou, also known as Wudishui, first appeared in "Shangshu·Yugong" and is a river leading to the sea.

One of the rumors about Xu Fu's voyage is that he set out by boat from Wudigou.

The river gradually silted up during the Sui Dynasty and was dredged during the Tang Dynasty, thus becoming a famous commercial port on the southwest coast of the Bohai Sea. Although inland ports have many disadvantages, they also have many advantages. For example, they can better communicate with inland hinterlands and gather wealth. The famous Spanish port of Seville during the Age of Discovery was a typical "seaport" deep inland.

This place was one of the key points of Shao Xun's eastern tour. He wanted to see what the condition of the Wudi Ditch, where merchant ships had frequented since the Han Dynasty, was like now, and whether it was a little silted up - this should not be the case since the Yellow River has not changed its course many times.

As for allowing concubines in the harem to visit their families on the way to the inspection, that was also reasonable.

The beauty Cui is now visiting her relatives at the Cui family, but the twenty-first prince was not brought with her because he is too young, so he remains in the Bianliang Palace.

Pingyuan is Liu Xiaohe's hometown. The Leling Shi family and the Bohai Shi family are both relatives of Lady Shi, so I'll take them to see the place by the way.

It is not easy to go back home these days, especially for Shi. She was only twelve or thirteen years old when she was forced to leave her hometown. The older she gets, the more she wants to go home.

When Shao Xun brought her out, she was so happy that she served him very hard in private, until she was tricked by Shao, and her training was initially completed.

Of course, Shao Xun had a business to do with the Leling Shi family and the Bohai Shi family. It was not complicated to explain it to them, that is, to let them make full use of their local network of contacts and manage the business and even the shipbuilding industry on the southwest coast of Liaohai.

In addition, the Shi, Gao, Feng and other tribes had many descendants in Murong Xianbei, all of whom fled there during the chaos in Hebei at the end of the Jin Dynasty. They were trusted by Murong Wei and appointed as officials. Their influence cannot be underestimated.

Huangsha Censor Shao Fan had sent people to contact them before. The various tribes had many doubts. The most important point was how to get to Murong Xianbei's territory without being captured?
In addition, the Liaohai Sea was frozen, which delayed things. Now that it has thawed, some things can be implemented - such things as going deep behind enemy lines to instigate rebellion cannot be done too early, as it is easy for the news to leak out, nor can it be done too late, as it will delay things. Now is just the right time.

On the tenth day, Shao Xun left Qinghe.

County officials and elders of the gentry accompanied him and walked for several miles before returning.

On the 13th, the emperor arrived at the northern border of Gaotang County and stayed at Liu's villa.

(End of this chapter)