In the Eastern Dynasty, Sima Lan sat in front of the Longshu case, quite a headache.

Although the rebellion of the two kings was quelled, many self-proclaimed forces appeared in the country, ostensibly under the jurisdiction of the imperial family, but in fact the implementation of many of Sima Lan's policies was blocked.

The emperor ordered the magistrates to take tough measures to suppress it. The local magistrates came up one after another to submit various documents. Saying that the people are anxious to recuperate after the war, and now conscription is not conducive to stability and unity. What ** finances are tight, unable to carry out large-scale operations. What local defenders did not obey the orders of the magistrate and refused to send troops to suppress it. What is the local banditry rampant recently, and the bandits are being dealt with...... In short, it can't be solved.

If you say that the local magistrate is incompetent, no, the local governance is still very peaceful, and there are no major mistakes. Sima Lan also sent people to lead the army to encircle and suppress. But when the army went, everything was too peaceful, and when the army was gone, it was like that again. After repeating it several times, Sima Lan paid a lot of military salaries in vain, but the result was not any substantive effect.

Today, the Ministry of War wrote a letter, saying that the national treasury has not paid military salaries to soldiers for several months. Sima Lan was furious and asked the Ministry of Rites, who said that the treasury was empty and that it had been cutting back on spending. However, reducing expenditure alone will not solve the real problem.

The state has always adopted a policy of rest and recuperation, and taxes have been relatively low for several years. Just over a year after the war, the treasury has long been out of money. Nowadays, books are written everywhere that it is because of the continuous wars, the people have no income, and they have no money to pay taxes. Nowadays, they can only maintain their daily expenses.

Sima Lan felt that he deserved to be the emperor. Why has the situation become so unfavorable in just two years? Why is it that he is a wise ruler who is dedicated to governing the country, and now he is constrained everywhere, and it is difficult to carry out any actions?

"Your Majesty, Concubine Gao is here!" Manager Gao was very distressed when he saw that the emperor was so anxious every day, knowing that the emperor liked Concubine Gao, so he deliberately found someone to talk to him.

"Let her in!"

Sima Lan and Concubine Gao have been childhood sweethearts since childhood, although they were not given the position of queen due to the situation, but the emperor still loves Concubine Gao very much.

"The emperor is so late, you should think less and rest early!"

Although the noble concubine is about thirty years old, she is very well maintained, and she looks like she is twenty-three or four. And the noble concubine is low-key, she doesn't fight with those people in the harem, she is not pampered and arrogant, and she is not jealous, she always looks like she has clear eyebrows and beautiful eyes, gentle and moving.

"How can I not be anxious when the treasury is empty and many of my policies cannot be implemented?"

Sima Lan rarely said this to the people in the harem, and he was really bored today, so he said a few words.

"Your Majesty, the concubines don't know what to say. ”

"Say it!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, do you remember the sacred bird that came from the border at that time? At that time, everyone said that the divine bird was an auspicious omen. Since the arrival of the Divine Bird, the Eastern Dynasty has indeed become more prosperous and stable, and the people's lives have been improving day by day. But since the Jade Lady left, the Divine Bird has disappeared. ”

"The concubine has been thinking about it for the past few days, and it is true that since then, the emperor has encountered obstacles in everything you do, and fortunately, Your Majesty, you have been blessed with profound blessings, which has supported you so far, and has also broken many corrupt officials and corrupted officials, and calmed down the civil strife of the two kings. Moreover, the concubines heard that now under the rectification of His Majesty, the politics are clear, the officials are honest and honest, and they are deeply loved by the people. ”

"But it's always a little bit less lucky. The concubine wondered if it was because Madame Yu took away the Divine Bird, so the luck of the country had changed slightly! If Madame Jade and the Divine Bird were recovered, perhaps His Majesty's affairs would be solved. ”

Concubine Gao said her opinion gently, and then lowered her head and helped the emperor sort out the dragon book case, and then said nothing.

Sima Lan also fell into deep thought, thinking about it carefully, it is indeed as the noble concubine said, since Madam Yu left, many things have changed. Could it really be because of the Divine Bird? But Sima Lan didn't look for Madame Yu, but no matter what elite people were dispatched, there was no news of Madame Yu, and this person disappeared as if he had disappeared out of thin air.

Since Madame Yu left, Sima Lan would think of Madame Yu every night in the dead of night, thinking of her confident smile when she first met her, remembering her style of dialogue with the divine bird, remembering her poignant expression and delicate and sick state after learning that Wu Hou had been killed, and her decisiveness when she left. So much so that for a long time, Sima Lan didn't go to the harem.

Later, it was the queen who mentioned it at a family banquet that Sima Lan realized his problem. only to realize that Mrs. Yu had already unconsciously entered her heart. He even went deeper than he thought.

Now Sima Lan knows why he left government affairs to investigate the murder of Wu Hou, and why he went to Qingyue to deal with it. Maybe a long time ago, Madame Yu had already entered her heart, so she would find all kinds of excuses to do those things. But he didn't know it at the time, otherwise he wouldn't have let her go. If she doesn't let her go, she won't be as lovesick as she is now.

The emperor didn't speak, and the noble concubine also bowed her head to sort out the bookcase and didn't speak. It didn't look like her expression had changed at all. But her heart was already churning.

On the other side, the person who grew up with him since he was a child, how could he not understand. What he was thinking about now must not be the Divine Bird, but the Jade Lady who raised the Divine Bird. I didn't expect it, I didn't expect it, there was a Wu Hou left, and another Jade Lady came. One by one, they want to take away what they care about the most.

Why? Why are they so cruel? At this time, if the emperor looked carefully, he would see the difference between the noble concubine, but he was completely immersed in his own thoughts, and his mind was full of a woman's voice and smile, how could he have the energy to pay attention to the people around him.

People tend to see what they want and ignore what they already have.

Concubine Gao left, and Sima Lan didn't even know what she said, what she did, or when she left. He only thought about the person who couldn't ask for it.

Sima Lan stood up and took down a box on the high and low shelf behind him. Sima Lan came to the dragon book case with this box in his hand like a treasure. There are a few beaded flowers inside, which are very plain and elegant, and there is no special complicated decoration. He remembered that she didn't like things that were too flashy, and every time he saw her, she had the simplest hairpin on her head.

He did it specifically for her, to ease her pain of losing a loved one. But she walked so resolutely that she didn't take anything with her, only wearing a white filial piety dress. The simple bun was coiled, and there was only a stick-like hairpin on his head, and nothing else. He remembered her sad face.

"From now on, there will be no Hou Mansion, no Hou Mansion Mrs. Yu, I will be me!"

Every time she thought of her saying this, Sima Lan would feel heartache.

"Yuzhu, is there any news from Mrs. Yu?"

Sima Lan asked Yuzhu. He once ordered Yuzhu to find Lady Yu's first priority.

"Back to the master, not yet. It's just—"

Yuzhu was also very helpless, he didn't understand, how could a big living person, or a woman, disappear so completely, he didn't find it for two years.

"Say!"

Sima Lan was very upset every time he heard no news.

"Our people said that there is a medical hall in the capital of Western Chu, which is very large, and the owner of the museum is called Li Yu. Everyone has always thought that this Li Yu is a handsome man, and it has never aroused suspicion, and our people have not found the clues. Recently, however, she has changed into women's clothes, and she looks very much like Madame Jade, especially her narrow eyes, which are said to be very similar to the portrait. It's just that I heard that this person has a very close relationship with the great prince of Western Chu, and he also has two children, and it is said that he can also do martial arts, and his martial arts are not low. Master, this person doesn't match anything other than what he looks like. So I didn't dare to report it. ”

Sima Lan somehow thought it was her! No wonder she couldn't find it, it turned out to be men's clothes! But what is the matter with martial arts? And children?

"You go and see for yourself, and then come back and forth to me. ”

"Wait, bring more people, if it's her, you can bring it back if you have a chance!"

Sima Lan felt that she couldn't wait for a moment, so she couldn't wait for a moment, so she ran away. Yuzhu led the order and left, and at the same time the news also reached the ears of the noble concubine.

"Nian'er, what are you doing? Would you like to go to the garden with your mother?"

A gentle and innocent woman leaned by the window, leaned inside, and called out to the child at the desk inside.

"Mother, the child is writing big letters! Look at it, is the child writing well?"

A chubby, tiger-headed little boy flashed his big eyes and picked up the big letters he had just written to show the woman by the window. This is the result of a morning of hard work.

The woman laughed and clapped her hands.

"Good, great, great!"

"Mother, you go to play with your father, the child has to write a few more, grandma said that the child must work hard, and he will be glorious in the future!"

The little boy said seriously.

The woman looked at him for a moment, laughed and shouted.

"Glory to the ancestors! Glory to the ancestors!"

Flew out like a fly. The colorful dress of yarn danced behind her, and her whole person looked like a big butterfly.

Suddenly, she saw the man in the tree next to her, the man she had always been very happy with. The man who makes her happy whenever she sees him, and who makes her extremely happy as long as she plays with him.

The man looked at her as well, grinning and fingering at him, motioning for her to come over. The butterfly-like woman laughed, shouted, jumped, and chased after her.

In the distance, an old woman with gray hair looked at the flying colorful clothes and the hidden corners of the trees, and smiled kindly.