This is the first time Lu Heng has come to Wuyi Lane, and it is also the first time he has come to Prince Ning's mansion.

What made him quite curious was that he didn't look at the gate outside King Ning's Mansion, it was magnificent and looked domineering and exposed. However, after walking in, I found that it was actually very simple inside.

Although there are also back gardens, garden rockeries and the like. However, it is very natural in the arrangement. It's not as luxurious as the Liufu that Lu Heng saw before.

When you enter the mansion, you will find a gravel path. On both sides of the path, there are dense bamboo forests. At this time, under the bath of drizzle, these verdant bamboos are exceptionally fresh.

Through the dense bamboo forest, a small pavilion can be faintly seen, and in this hazy mist, it is like a fairyland. Moreover, in the bamboo forest, there are some zigzag canals, looking at the layout plan, it should be the place where Ning Wang Ye and his friends play games.

Along the way, the accompanying Zhan guards walked around a corner every time. will all whistle. Then, Lu Heng heard a faint sound of writing in the bamboo forest, but it soon disappeared.

Seeing Lu Heng turn his head, he looked at himself suspiciously.

Zhan's guard explained with a smile: "Hehe, they are all the prince's personal soldiers, and they are usually here to protect the prince's safety!" ”

Lu Heng nodded, looked back at the bamboo forest he walked through, and was very impressed by the hidden skills of these soldiers.

Following the winding path and walking through the dense bamboo forest, the mansion of King Ning is in front of you.

At this time, the door of the hall was open. From inside, there was a faint sound of Ning Wang Ye talking to the others.

Lu Heng listened to the other person's voice, but he was a little dumbfounded.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Wenshan was also there.

Zhan Escort knew that the relationship between the prince and Master Zhang and the scholar in front of him was extraordinary, so there was no routine report. Just said goodbye to Lu Heng with a fist, then turned around and disappeared into the bamboo forest.

Lu Heng smiled, then raised his feet and walked inside.

In the room, the charcoal in the brazier is burning vigorously, and the room is warm like spring.

The furniture made of sandalwood and the golden silk of the emperor's house show the nobility of the palace. On the table, the silver teapot looks very elegant.

Wu Ningyuan and Zhang Wenshan were sitting opposite each other at the table, and the two were drinking tea while talking something. However, it seems that their topic is a little heavy, and both of them look sad.

Hearing footsteps outside the door, the two ended their conversation.

Glancing out of the door, I saw a scholar in a light cyan robe in the drizzly bamboo forest, carrying an oil-paper umbrella, stepping on the drizzle, and walking leisurely.

"Hehe, Yongzheng is here! I've been waiting for you for a long time! After Wu Ningyuan saw that it was Lu Heng, he stood up and said to Lu Heng with a smile.

"Hurry up and get inside! It's very humid outside! Zhang Wenshan also stood up, stroked his beard, and said to Lu Heng with a smile.

Welcoming Lu Heng into the house, Wu Ningyuan asked Lu Heng to sit down. He poured him a cup of tea.

The three of them continued the conversation between the two old men just now.

"It's raining, hey! I'm afraid that if it goes on like this, I'm afraid that the Yangtze River can't stand it! Zhang Wenshan held the teacup, looked at the rain outside, and sighed. There was a look of worry between his eyebrows.

"It seems that we can only mobilize the people along the Yangtze River to build the embankment!" Wu Ningyuan twisted his white brows and thought about it, and said in a deep voice: "Once the Yangtze River breaks, the consequences are unimaginable!" ”

Zhang Wenshan shook his head, he put down the teacup, and sighed: "The imperial court has been fighting for many years, and the taxes are extremely heavy, and the people are already miserable. If there is more conscription, I am afraid that it will provoke a civil uprising! ”

Wu Ningyuan also knows this, but after all, he was born in the emperor's family, and his birth status also determines that he stands higher and sees more comprehensively in some things. In his opinion. If he had to make a choice between sacrificing a small number of people and keeping the granary in Jiangnan, he would have to choose between the two!

He sighed, his expression grim. Shen Sheng: "This is also a matter of no way, if the Yangtze River embankment breaks." Thousands of fertile fields in the south of the Yangtze River will turn into an ocean. At that time, Jiangnan was hit by a disaster. All parts of the country are bound to starve. At that time, it will not just be a popular revolt in one place! ”

On the side, Lu Heng held a teacup and quietly tasted tea. Listening to the conversation between the two old men, his eyes were calm, and his expression occasionally moved, but he quickly regained his calm. I don't know what he's thinking.

After Zhang Wenshan heard Wu Ningyuan's words, there was a touch of bitterness on his face. He sighed and did not refute Wu Ningyuan's words.

In fact, he also knows it very well in his heart. Wu Ningyuan's approach is understandable. It's just that between the trade-offs, it is indeed difficult to give up.

On one side are the people of Li in the south of the Yangtze River. On the one hand, the social stability of the Great Zhou. On one side is a part of the people, and on the other side is the whole country.

As an official of the Great Zhou, no matter which aspect he gave up, it was difficult for him to make a decision.

At this point, the two fell silent.

On the table, the steam of hot tea rises, and the atmosphere seems a little oppressive.

Wu Ningyuan leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed, his white brows furrowed tightly. My heart is as dark and heavy as the weather in Jiangning.

One of his hands was pressed against the table. And beneath his hand was a pair of letters covered with gold lacquer. As can be seen from the golden dragon ornament on the envelope, it seems that the letter came from the Tokyo Imperial Palace.

After seeing the envelope clearly, Lu Heng wisely chose to pretend to be silent. With his head down, he snorted and blew the tea leaves floating on the water in the tea bowl.

Watching this piece of tea swirl on the paper, turning back and forth around the teacup, Lu Heng forgot where he was now. For a while, I had a lot of fun.

The sound of whirring and blowing naturally affected the two old men who were contemplating.

Wu Ningyuan opened his eyes and glanced at the scholar in front of him who had not undergone plastic surgery. Seeing that he was actually playing with tea leaves, black lines suddenly appeared on his wrinkled forehead.

"Ahem, Yongzheng, do you have a good idea?"

Lord Ning understood in his heart, Lu Heng, this guy, if you don't ask. Don't expect him to give you advice. If you don't open your mouth, maybe this little slippery head can play for a day.

He invited Lu Heng over today, in fact, for this matter.

In the past, I always heard Lu Heng say something that seemed wild and uninhibited, but in retrospect, he benefited a lot. Therefore, today Wang Ye Ning and Zhang Wenshan deliberately moved Lu Heng over. I'd like to hear what he thinks.

Unexpectedly, this kid was very slippery, and if he didn't say it, he just ignored it.

Lu Heng looked at the helpless appearance of the two old men and smiled faintly. After putting down the teacup in his hand, he nodded and said, "Actually, I also thought about something just now, since Ning Yuangong and Zhang Lao asked, then I'll talk about it!" ”

Such a happy reply made Ning Yuangong and Zhang Wenshan a little surprised.

It seems that Lu Heng is not like this in his daily life, unless it is a hurdle that he can't pass, he will say something helplessly. It's a strange thing to say now.

Seeing Ning Yuangong and Zhang Wenshan looking at him puzzled, Lu Heng smiled faintly, sighed, and shook his head a little helplessly: "Heh, do you think I'm different today than before?" ”

The two old men nodded at the same time.

Lu Heng put away the smile on his face, with a helpless wry smile on his face, he gently knocked on the table, and finally, he spread out his hand and said with a wry smile: "Because, I am also one of the people in Jiangnan!" ”

"The matter of conscription that Ning Yuangong said just now is indeed understandable. It's just that, as the elder said, the people of Jiangnan have been overwhelmed by the heavy taxes, and if they add more conscription at this time, it will inevitably provoke a popular uprising. When the time comes, the turmoil in the south of the Yangtze River will naturally be affected by it. Lu Heng smiled faintly, turned his head to look at Ning Yuangong and Zhang Wenshan, and said with a wry smile: "Since it is a matter of family, I can't be indifferent below!" ”

Seeing that Ning Yuangong and Zhang Wenshan had apologetic on their faces, Lu Heng smiled and waved his hand to understand: "Okay, I also thought about some attention just now, it should be usable, you two might as well listen to it?" ”

"Listen up!"

The two old men saw Lu Heng's serious face, and after glancing at each other at this time, they saw a surprise in each other's eyes. After that, the two of them clasped their fists together and said in a deep voice to Lu Heng.

Yongzheng is this person, although he always looks calm and calm, and he doesn't seem to care about anything, but Wu Ningyuan and Zhang Wenshan both know that as long as he is serious. There will definitely be something wonderful.

Lu Heng nodded slightly, he got up and took down an antique abacus from the bookshelf. After placing it on the table, after flicking it lightly with both hands, both hands flicked the beads back into the distance. Raising his head, he looked at the two of them and asked, "It's the middle of May, so from now on, if you want to repair the embankment when the Yangtze River flood peak is coming in July." How much is it necessary to recruit the people? ”

"At least half a million!" Zhang Wenshan used to be an official in Liangjiang, so he naturally knew about this kind of thing. At this time, Lu Heng asked, and said it without hesitation.

"Well, 500,000 people, and they must be strong men, so that it will be possible to complete this huge project in less than three months, am I right!" The calculation in Lu Heng's hand paused slightly, raised his head and looked at the two old men who were listening intently to what he was saying, and asked with a smile.

After seeing the two old men look at each other, they nodded silently. Lu Heng snorted and continued to calculate the account. The crackling sound of the abacus in this quiet hut was particularly crisp: "In this case, it is equivalent to the entire Jiangnan, at least two million people have been conscripted into forced labor, right!" Lu Heng crackled and calculated, with beads in his hand, he raised his head and glanced at Zhang Wenshandao.

"Why are there so many?" Wu Ningyuan frowned, looked at Lu Heng with a serious face, and turned his head to look at Zhang Wenshandao.

"That's right, these strong men are the labor of every family. If they are recruited, then their family will inevitably be affected! Yongzheng said that there are two million people, but in fact, it is still a conservative number. In reality, it is much more than that! Zhang Wenshan smiled bitterly and nodded, which was why he was reluctant to mobilize the people to build and release.

"Okay, let's not talk about the 1.5 million people affected. Let's just say that these 500,000 strong men. If these 500,000 strong men go to build embankments, and they have to repair embankments hundreds of miles long in three months, they will naturally have to stay along the Yangtze River for a long time and will not be able to return home. Then their farmland will be wasted. We will calculate the harvest of five acres of thin fields and 500 catties per mu of each family. These 500,000 strong men are apportioned, and in three months, we will give up 1.25 billion catties of grain! This is the grain that I can't get in the north of the Great Zhou for ten years. Hehe, if it is placed in the army, it will be a full thirty years of food! Lu Heng stopped the calculation in his hand, raised his head and looked at the two old men whose faces were already very complicated, and said with a faint smile.

Subsequently, the two old men were shocked. He shook his head and smiled, pushing the abacus away. Picking up the teacup, after taking a sip, he said with a smile: "Of course, this is just a clear account." There is no other meaning in saying this. It only makes the two of them understand how much we will lose if we go on a conscription! ”

Seeing that the two old men had wry smiles on their faces, they shook their heads and sighed. Lu Heng smiled, and after clearing his throat, his fingers lightly knocked on the table and said, "Hehe, since both of you understand the seriousness of this number." Then let's talk about the construction of the embankment now! ”

P.S. Students who have tickets in hand, I hope you will throw a few at will. If you don't have a ticket, hehe, then collect it.