At this time, Xiao Shi pointed to the guards and ordered sharply, "What are you doing in a daze?!" Protect the princess! ”

The guards received the order and immediately stepped forward to separate Shuang Di from Zhang Xun.

Frost Di cried bitterly, she struggled hard, stretched out her slender hand to Zhang Xun with all her might, her white wrist was exposed to the wind and snow, and soon froze stiff and red, she wanted to grab Zhang Xun's arm, so that the warm hand hugged her into her arms again. She even regretted knowing her background, if she was just an ordinary woman who was not liked by her father, she could be with her lover forever, but nothing can be assumed, and now, she has to face this tragic parting.

The guards set up Zhang Xun and separated him from a distance. Zhang Xun was helpless, he couldn't do anything but shed tears. He raised his head and looked at the dark night sky, where brilliant fireworks were lit from time to time, and the sound of firecrackers echoed in his ears, but the joy and peace of the world became the greatest sorrow in his heart.

In the end, Zhang Xun could only look at Shuang Tu and whispered softly, "Xiao Shuang, I love you." ”

Frost collapsed weakly in the snow, tears flowed freely, she desperately opened her lips, she couldn't say anything but silent sorrow.

Finally, Zhang Xun turned around, stepped on the blood-stained snow on the ground, and left here, and after a long time, Zhang Xun disappeared into the streets of Huiji, only the brilliant fireworks in the sky cast a lonely shadow in the snow.

In a blink of an eye, the first month has passed, the weather is getting warmer, spring has returned to the earth, and people have begun to cultivate the new year.

It was a sunny day, and although the cold wind was still cold, you would feel a little warm when you stood in the sun. Delicate sprouts sprouted from the peach trees in the yard, and a nest of birds built a new home on the branches of the canopy.

Gong Huiran poured Zhang Xun a full cup of warm tea, and said slowly: "Xiao Xun, don't be angry first, drink some tea to warm up." ”

Zhang Xun was indignant, slapped a few cases and cursed: "Damn! This boy is so hateful! His son is as abominable as he is! I'm! These two bastards who have brought disaster to the country and the people! ”

Gong Huangran just looked at Zhang Xun with a smile, and waited for Zhang Xun to be tired of scolding before asking, "Have you scolded enough?" ”

"Hmph, damn it, it's useless to scold!"

"Yes, it's useless to scold, it's okay to be angry with me, don't do this when you go out."

"Yes, yes. I just can't figure it out, the money that their father and son are greedy for has long been spent in ten lifetimes, why are they so greedy? Don't even spare military spending?! ”

Gong Wanran sighed, shook his head and said, "Everyone has their own ambitions." ”

"Hmph, that's an ambition? Living in the same world, I really don't know what they are pursuing in life! ”

"Don't think about these things, everyone has their own reasons for living in the world, let's find a way to solve the current problem now, I really have no other way to apply for the military expenses you applied to the king before, but to compromise with Bo Ya."

"Damn! The king obviously approved all the military expenses to me! How can there be no money! Thief! Can't you do something serious except corruption? ”

"Hey, I can't help it, although the king approved 50,000 taels for you, but in fact, there is not so much money in the treasury at all, and I told you last time, I can only raise 15,000 taels for you. Before the Chinese New Year, Bo Yao invited me to Dazaifu for dinner, and he specially mentioned this military expenditure to me, and before I could open my mouth, he said the number of 15,000 taels, so Bo Yao had already been eyeing this fund. ”

"Humph! What's the difference between him and Ming Robbing like this?! Won't the king pursue it?! ”

"No way, I later learned that this military expenditure was suggested by Bo Ya to the king, and at the same time as he suggested to the king, Bo Yao proposed that his son should be responsible for the production of iron swords, and if he did not accept this, the king would not agree to allocate this money at all. When Bo Ya found me a few years ago, I didn't know the inside story, and he said that he was helping me raise funds, but in fact, he was helping his son collect money. ”

Zhang Xun was furious, slapped a few cases again, and cursed: "The king doesn't investigate the use of people, and entrusts this bastard with a heavy responsibility, hum!" Sooner or later, the country will be finished! ”

"Hey, don't talk about this yet, now that the DPRK and China are dominant, the king is convinced of the Bo Ya party, and we can't change the status quo. Forget it, let's talk about the ruler first? ”

"Humph! What do you think?! When I think about it, I can't get angry! I took a look at it today, and what kind of tattered swords are made! Not to mention the rust, the sword body will be broken as soon as it is chopped! I was about to accuse the ruler of cutting corners, but he said that there was a problem with the process I provided! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! You can't make an iron sword at all! He can only make a bunch of rags! This is good, 15,000 taels of gold are all gone! ”

"Okay, don't worry, of course I know that I can't make a sword, so I didn't give in completely, and not all the money was wasted."

"What do you mean?! Talk about it, talk about it. ”

"In fact, Bo Yao also knows very well in his heart that this fifteen thousand taels of gold will always be allocated to see some results, if all of them are handed over to the ruler to get it, it will really be a waste, in that case, the king will inevitably blame it."

"Yes! Not bad at all! ”

"Therefore, I reached an agreement with Bo Ya, after the funds are transferred, they will first be handed over to the production of the ruler, but then the specific work can be handed over to me to be responsible, and the workshop of the ruler is just to make a show."

"Oh, I see, when will we actually start forging iron swords?"

"Let's wait a while, as soon as next month. Tomorrow I will send someone to allocate a batch of money to you, which is enough for you to build a waterwheel workshop, and when your waterwheel workshop is built, the problem of funds can basically be solved. ”

"Great!"

"It's just ......," Gong Wanran looked embarrassed.

"Just what?"

"Hey, it's just that more than half of these fifteen thousand taels may be stripped off by Bo Yao, and after building a workshop and siege equipment, you may only have three thousand taels of gold left to produce iron swords."

"What?!" Zhang Xun was shocked, "Three thousand taels?!" That's only enough to produce six thousand iron swords! It's not enough! ”

"I can't help it, it's the limit I can get."

"Damn! I'm! This old bastard! Those who are greedy are the people's fat and the people's anointing! Zhang Xun got up angrily and paced back and forth on the ground, and suddenly he stopped his body and said resolutely: "No! I'm going to find the king to expose him! Impeach him! Whatever the consequences, I can't let my soldiers go into battle with a pile of rags, I'm responsible for their lives! ”

Gong Wanran could see that Zhang Xun was extremely angry, he was a little nervous, and hurriedly comforted: "Xiao Xun, you must be calm, you are angry now, I am afraid that things will get worse and worse." ”

"Calm down?! I can't calm down! Moreover, what Brother Gonghui said is right, I am angry now. Hum! Old thief, I'm just angry with him! ”

"Hey, I know you're in a bad mood, and the events on Chinese New Year's Eve are painful for you, but your impulsiveness won't help." Bo Ya covers the sky with one hand in the DPRK, and his henchmen are extremely powerful, this is the status quo, we can only compromise for the time being, and then find a way later, okay? ”

"Not good! Compromise, compromise, compromise! It is because too many people only know how to compromise that it led to Wu Xiangguo's death, and it caused Bo Yao to cover the sky with one hand! Now Bo Yao is like a huge worm, gnawing at the lifeblood of the country, if he is allowed to go on like this, the country will inevitably perish! ”

"What you say is not wrong, but our strength is too weak compared to Bo Yao, and a head-on confrontation is tantamount to hitting a stone with an egg, and we can only hold on to the light in our hearts in the darkness."

"We? Hehe. Zhang Xun smiled bitterly: "Brother Gonghui, you may not know, in the eyes of many people, your Lord Gonghui is an important member of the Bo Ya party!" ”

This sentence was like a sharp sword, piercing Gong Wanran's heart, and he felt a sharp pain in his heart, and he couldn't speak for a long time.

Zhang Xun sighed, turned around and was about to leave, just then, Gong Wanran stopped him, "Xiao Xun, I'll talk to Bo Yao again in the afternoon, no matter how you plan to act, wait until tomorrow." ”

"Okay."

Zhang Xun didn't look back, just answered, and then left directly.

In the afternoon, Gong Huang left the house, and for some reason, he went around to the incense factory to take a look, which had long been deserted, the roof of the workshop was full of holes, the beams and pillars were rotten and could collapse at any moment, and the dusty tools and instruments were piled up on the ground in a mess, and the side was full of broken bricks and tiles.

Looking at this dilapidated scene, Gong Wanran couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness, and he regretted a little, if he had strongly requested at that time, maybe he could take over the incense factory, instead of letting the incense factory fall into the hands of the ruler.

Gong Wanran finally understood what Zhang Xun said, maybe in the eyes of many people who don't know the inside story, his helpless actions are to be in cahoots and complicity with Bo Yao, but who knows his own hardships? In the final analysis, his own abilities are also limited, and his strength is also small, how can he fight against the filth and filth of this world alone?

Gong Wanran slowly squatted down leaning against the broken fence of the incense factory, he felt intense exhaustion, and felt powerless than he had ever been.

Is it fearless justice that only by facing the darkness without hesitation can it be regarded as fearless justice?

Is it true bravery only to show the determination to hit a stone with an egg and sacrifice one's life for righteousness?

Perhaps, but what's the point?

Those heroic and almost reckless actions often only lead to stupid consequences, and many times, if he does not weigh the pros and cons and manipulate the means in a mess of filth, how can he achieve effective results?

Yes, there is nothing wrong with what I have been doing, I know how to be flexible, I know how to make trade-offs, and it is the meaning of politics to overcome it with softness like water.

However, why is it that I have tried so hard, but I still can't really solve the predicament faced by the country and the people?

For the first time, Gong's heart was shaken, maybe the principles he had been practicing were not necessarily effective, and the ideas he had always believed in were not necessarily correct......

Dragging his tired body, Gong stood in front of the gate of Dazaifu.

Han saw Gong Huiran, and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, Gong Huiran did not have the same look as before, but dealt with it tiredly.

"Lord Gonghui, your complexion is not very good today, are you not feeling well?" Han asked with a smile.

Gong Wanran smiled and shook his head, and saluted: "Thank you Han Lao for your concern, it's nothing wrong here, it's just that I've been busy lately, and it's a little difficult to sleep." ”

"Oh, I see, the princess must pay attention to the body, don't be tired, it's not good to be tired, although the adult is busy with business, but you should also focus on the body, the adult is the mainstay of the country!"

"Thank you, Mr. Han."

"By the way, this year's new Baihua tea will be served soon, and I'll send some to the adults when the time comes."

"Then there will be labor." Gong Wan said goodbye, took out a gold yuan from his bosom and stuffed it to Han's account room.

"I can't do it, I can't do it." Han's account room pretended not to accept it, but he couldn't stand the public and forced it, so he still put Jin Yuan in his arms naturally after half pushing it.

"Thank you, thank you, Lord Gonghui!"

"Mr. Han is polite, Mr. Lao Han has helped me deliver tea."

"Definitely! Certain! As soon as the new tea is served, the villain immediately selects the best product and sends it to the adult! ”

"Thank you! By the way, Han Lao, Dazai-sama can be in the house at this time? ”

"I'm here, Dazai-sama is enjoying the flowers in the back garden, and my lord is in a good mood today, just right for a chat! Please wait a moment, and let me report it. ”

"It's hard work."

After a while, Han's account room trotted out of the inner house and went in to see Bo Yao with Gong Wanran.

When he came to the back garden, he saw that Bo Yao was leisurely playing with flowers and plants, so he stepped forward and saluted, "Dazai-sama." ”

"Here we are." Bo Yao smiled and beckoned to Gong Wanran, motioning for him to come forward and speak.

Bo Yao pointed to a few pots of exquisite plants and said, "Look at how beautiful these little seedlings are. ”

Gong Wanran was a little puzzled, and asked puzzledly: "Dazai-sama's bonsai is indeed exquisite, but his subordinates are rare and strange, and some people don't understand, why just after the first month, everything has not yet recovered, but the adult's bonsai can grow so luxuriantly?" ”

"Haha, this one, it's not difficult, it's not difficult. As soon as autumn passes, when the weather is just cold, these potted plants are moved into the greenhouse, and the fire must be lit in the greenhouse at all times, the fire cannot be too weak, otherwise the potted plants will freeze to death, of course, it cannot be too strong, otherwise it will be heated. It must be guarded day and night, at all times, and there must be no slackening at all. No, while it's warm, I'll quickly have someone take them out to bask in the sun, and when it's cold for a while, I'll have to move them back, hehe, they're delicate. ”

Gong Wanran also looked not far away, and sure enough, he saw a huge conservatory, there were hundreds of potted plants in it, and several servants were carefully waiting for the potted plants to come out to bask in the sun.

Bo Yao shouted at the servant, "Be careful! These seedlings are worth more than your lives! ”