Yang Guang realized that he was a little out of shape, after all, this is not a glorious thing, even Yu Shiji, who was a fortunate minister, never mentioned this scandal to him, so Yang Guang cleared his throat and said: "Concubine Xuanhua is the concubine of the first emperor, after the death of Queen Dugu Wenwen, it was she who supported the entire inner palace and took care of the last few years of the first emperor, and made great contributions to Sui. It has been separated forever, it's really jealous, don't bless me Dasui! ”

Speaking of this, Yang Guang unconsciously thought of the benefits that Mrs. Xuanhua had given him, the silky skin and the elegant aroma of orchids seemed to be vivid again, and when he thought of how rare the beauty would be in the future, Yang Guang unconsciously shed two tears.

Yu Shiji also knows a little about Yang Guang's affairs, seeing Yang Guang's fake drama like this, his eyes were red and he really burst into tears, he sneered in his heart, but he said: "Your Majesty, please mourn by the way, Empress Xiao has already said that the body has been examined, and it is indeed Concubine Xuanhua, according to the ancestral system of the Great Sui, the childless concubines who leave the palace will be buried at home, and the body of Concubine Xuanhua has been brought back by her family for burial." ”

Yang Guang suddenly stopped being sad, he suddenly thought that Empress Xiao had always looked at Mrs. Xuanhua unpleasantly, and she was also going to drive Mrs. Xuanhua out at the beginning, this time he had just come out for more than half a year, and even sneaked to the Xiandu Palace before coming out to spoil Mrs. Xuanhua again, he was still a lively person at that time, and it was gone in less than half a year, in addition to being deliberately killed by Empress Xiao, would there be any other explanation?

Thinking of this, Yang Guang hated his teeth and said in a deep voice: "In Empress Xiao's letter, did you say how Concubine Xuanhua died?" Why can't I wait a few days and wait for me to return before officiating at the funeral? ”

Yu Shiji spread out this silk silk in front of Yang Guang and said: "From here, Empress Xiao said that Concubine Xuanhua missed the emperor too much, so that the water and rice did not enter, and the shape was eroded, and when she finally died, she was already a little inhuman, and now it is the height of summer, and the corpse is easy to decay, so I can't wait for Your Majesty to return to the palace, so I can only bury it in advance." ”

Yang Guang said hatefully: "Yu Aiqing, there are no outsiders here, you say, how did Concubine Xuanhua die?" ”

Yu Shiji was scared of a clever wit, no matter how stupid he was, he knew that this involved the emperor and the queen, as a foreign minister, when Yang Guang did not make up his mind to abolish the queen, he said bad things about Empress Xiao, that was to lose his head, he hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, this is Your Majesty's family matter, after you go on patrol, the matter of the harem should be appointed to Empress Xiao, is there still a fake news she sent back?" ”

Yang Guang said sharply: "Yu Shiji, I see that you are a national soldier, and when you were in the Chen Dynasty, you dared to admonish the Empress Chen with a straight face, so I trust you so much, why, even you dare not tell me the truth?" ”

Yu Shiji hurriedly knelt on the ground, kowtowed and knocked "dong", and knocked his head red in a few clicks: "Your Majesty, I hope you put the overall situation first, Concubine Xuanhua has passed away, and it will be useless to investigate it, Empress Xiao has assisted you for many years, and the world has recited the deep love between the husband and wife, which can be described as a match made in heaven, Your Majesty Xià must not mess with yourself and do things that make the world laugh!" ”

Yang Guang stood up, paced back and forth, copied the silk silk in his hand several times and looked at it carefully, and threw it on the case several times with hatred, so he tossed the kung fu of the small half pillar of incense before he stopped, looked up to the sky and sighed: "I thought that Empress Xiao was a perfect woman with virtue and virtue, but I didn't expect that she was also a jealous woman, and she was so ruthless." Yu Aiqing, get up, in fact, you know very well in your heart that this thing was done by Queen Xiao, right? ”

Yu Shiji finally stood up, he didn't dare to wipe his already swollen red forehead, stood aside with his head bowed, and didn't dare to say a word.

Yang Guang sighed: "Yu Aiqing, I am in a hurry, it's hard for you, don't blame me, yes, this is my harem, you are a foreign minister, it is inconvenient to say more." ”

Yu Shiji frowned, and suddenly said: "The ministers of the harem of His Majesty dare not speak falsely, but the affairs of the previous dynasty, the ministers can still say two sentences, since His Majesty ascended the throne, there is a lot of grace to the Xiao family, from Xiao Cong's promotion to Shangshuling, to Xiao Yu's deep favor as an internal history servant, not to mention the Xiao family, there are as many as 100 people who let go of foreign officials within the five suits, Your Majesty, the death of the two Han Dynasty is to die in the dictatorship of foreign relatives, and the near Western Jin Dynasty is also died at the hands of Jia Nanfeng, although the ministers dare not talk about Queen Xiao, But the Lanling Xiao clan was originally the Southern Dynasty power seized by Tongguò's relatives, and now it is like this, and the nephews are full of government and opposition, and they think that it is definitely not the blessing of my Great Sui. ”

Yang Guang nodded: "Yes, I originally thought that Empress Xiao had shared weal and woe with me for many years, so they also added more official rewards to the sons and nephews of their Xiao family, but it seems that the ambition of the Xiao family will gradually rise up, and I have been thinking about it these days, why did Xiao Yu want to set up a line for Li Min and report Yuwenshu, it is said that Li Min and their family have a grudge against Yuwenshu, but why should Xiao Yu get involved?" I'm afraid this can be explained more than just a loyal word. ”

Yu Shiji hurriedly said: "Supreme Sage, there is no need for the minister to say more to remind you. ”

Yang Guang's eyes flashed with coldness: "After returning to Beijing, you help me secretly investigate the actions of the Xiao family, especially Xiao Yu and Xiao Cong, if you have any bad words and deeds, report it immediately." ”

Yu Shiji's eyes flashed with a look of pride, and he took a deep look: "The minister obeys the order!" ”

Yang Guang sat back in the imperial case, and was about to let Yu Shiji retreat, when he suddenly saw Yu Shiji standing there, wanting to speak and stopping, so he asked, "What else does Yu Aiqing have to say?" ”

Yu Shiji had a flattering smile on his face, took two steps forward, and said, "Your Majesty, after you return to the Eastern Capital this time, are you interested in driving Jiangdu again?" ”

Yang Guang was stunned for a moment, and then laughed: "Yu Aiqing, you still know my thoughts, when I was a prince, I went out of town and traveled all over the world, but I still felt that staying in Jiangdu was the most satisfying." The scenery of the south of the Yangtze River, as well as the quality of life, I like it very much, even the rain and weather are so in line with my heart, compared with Guanzhong and Dongdu, it is much better! It's just ............"

When Yang Guang said this, he stopped talking, Yu Shiji looked at his face, and hurriedly said: "The Supreme is worried about the problem of this canal, and the palace in Jiangdu has not been built?" ”

Yang Guang stood up with a smile and patted Yu Shiji's shoulder: "Aiqing is very heartfelt, last time I went back to Jiangdu, I sat on that kind of medium-sized dragon boat, and I stumbled along the way, at that time, Su Wei told me that the river was newly dug, and it had not had time to be completely repaired, and it took time and manpower to dredge it again." And there are no large palaces like Ziwei Palace and Xianren Palace in Jiangdu in the Eastern Capital, I don't feel too used to living in it, the former Yangzhou Governor's Mansion can't accommodate my entire harem, Yu Aiqing, what good way do you have? ”

Yu Shiji smiled slightly: "This river, last time it was dug out first, it is impossible to make it very deep, just have a look, if Your Majesty wants to patrol the river capital for a long time, then it can't be so simple, I have money in the Great Sui, and some are the people, as long as I send a powerful general to supervise the river workers within a time limit, I will be able to dredge the river and open the canal." ”

Yang Guang frowned: "Although I intend to do this, Su Wei and Zhang Heng have also advised Gao Ying before, saying that the people's power should not be abused, and the Tongji Canal was just dug the year before last, and now if the people from Henan to Lianghuai are served, can they stand it?" ”

Yu Shiji smiled and waved his hand: "Don't believe the nonsense of those guys, they just want to use these people to interfere with His Majesty's actions, according to the laws and regulations of the Great Sui, Ding Nan has to serve twenty days of conscription every year, which is nothing more than these things of building roads, digging rivers and building cities, after digging the canal the year before last, didn't His Majesty have issued an order last year to dismiss the conscription of Henan and the two Huai prefectures?" This year, they should also be allowed to move again, and the people should not be too lazy, otherwise they will have nothing to do all day long, and there will be traitors to provoke them, but they will only disrupt the country for bandits. ”

Yang Guang nodded: "Yu Aiqing is reasonable, so who do you think this time will be the chief manager and supervise the matter of digging the river?" ”

The corners of Yu Shiji's mouth hooked: "The last time I crusaded against Yang Liang, Ma Shumou, the leader of the Yellow River Gang, once helped Yang Su's army quickly pass through the Guò Puzhou Ferry, this person is well versed in the hydrology of rivers and rivers, and is familiar with the affairs of the river, and his people are shrewd and capable, and his subordinates are afraid of his majesty, and they will never dare to steal and play tricks. ”

Yang Guang smiled slightly: "Zhun Song, this time the river repair matter is all in charge of this Uncle Ma, as for the deputy envoy of the river, is there any good candidate for Yu Aiqing?" ”

Yu Shiji smiled slightly: "Li Yuan, the Duke of Tang Guo, is now at home, he is highly respected, although he has no real officials, but with his title, he can deter this Uncle Ma who started from the cold, and also make him dare not be greedy for money in Mozhihe." ”

Yang Guang smiled: "Then it's accurate." This time, I must dig the river wide and deep, and next time I will take a big dragon boat to cruise the Jiangdu. When he said this, his face changed, "But to be honest, the last time I took the dragon boat to Jiangdu, I was really a little scared, the bottom of the boat kept hitting the reef, the shaky feeling, and the sound coming from the bottom of the boat, but it really scared me a lot." I don't want to encounter this kind of thing again this time, if someone is lazy and the river is not deep and wide enough, I will not spare them this time! ”

Yu Shiji sneered and said: "Your Majesty, the minister has already thought of a good way, and he will definitely make this time dig the river, and this situation will not occur." ”

Yang Guang's face changed slightly: "Is there any good way?" Aiqing said quickly. ”

Yu Shiji said: "When digging the river, first block the water level in the upper reaches of the Bianqu, drain the water in the river, and then excavate, focusing on widening the river, digging it deeper, and removing the silt and reef at the bottom of the water. Wait until the first qiē is ready, and then open the upstream fence to allow the water to enter the entire river. At this time, make a kind of iron-legged wooden goose, one zhang long, the upper body is wooden, floating on the water, and there are four iron oars hanging at the bottom, up to two zhang deep, that is, the legal depth of the Grand Canal, the iron-legged wooden goose goes down the river, if it is blocked, it means that the local river is not deep enough, not wide enough, then the people and officials in charge of the section are punished, so that no one will dare to steal and play tricks. ”

Yang Guang's eyes narrowed into a slit with a smile: "This method Yu Aiqing can also think of, it's really amazing, is that Uncle Ma plotting to sue you?" ”

Yu Shiji nodded: "Exactly, it is because he can offer this miracle that the minister has the courage to recommend this person to open the river ambassador." ”

Yang Guang nodded with satisfaction and said: "Okay, then according to your plan, I will entrust Uncle Ma with full authority to supervise this matter, I will allocate 50,000 soldiers to him, and send 4 million people along the river, within a time limit, to dig this Tongji Canal, Hangou and Shanyang Desecration thoroughly." If you can't complete the task on time, military law will do it! ”

Yu Shiji had a smile on his face and said, "There is one more thing, Your Majesty." ”

Yang Guang was obviously in a good mood, and said with a smile: "Aiqing has something else to do, but it doesn't hurt to say it." ”

Yu Shiji said with a smile: "The Son of Heaven goes out to patrol, naturally to show the majesty of the Son of Heaven, but it should also show the benevolence of the Son of Heaven to the people, after the canal is dug, even if the beginning stage can let the iron-legged wooden goose flow unimpeded, but after a long time, the silt at the bottom of the river accumulates, and it is inevitable that there will be some unsmooth places, so just relying on the wind or rowing the boat, I am afraid that it will inevitably encounter the same bumpy situation as before, which will affect the holy driving." ”

Yang Guang's face changed: "Why, Aiqing means that even if the river channel is widened and the riverbed is dug deeper, it is still possible that my big dragon boat will hit the bottom of the river?" ”

Yu Shiji said: "There is no absoluteness in the world, the river will bring a large amount of sediment upstream, and it will often be deposited when it hits the bend of the place, making it difficult for the boat to pass for a while, and rowing or wind will not play a big role at this time, unless it is to pull the fiber." ”

Yang Guang said "oh": "Pull fiber? What's the Rafa? ”

Yu Shiji said with a smile: "It is on the dragon boat of the throne, tie dozens of thick fiber ropes, on the canal embankment on both sides, let people and animals pull this fiber rope to walk, if you touch a little river mud at the bottom, hundreds of people, thousands of cattle and sheep, enough to pull the big dragon boat of Your Majesty, so as not to fall into the mud of the riverbed." ”

Yang Guang laughed: "This idea is good, a big dragon boat can be pulled by more than 1,000 people, very good." ”

A wicked smile flashed on Yu Shiji's face: "Actually, when the time comes, Your Majesty can recruit some young women to lead the cattle and sheep to pull fiber on both sides of the river, so that the fragrance will float for thousands of miles, and it will also attract the people along the river to come out and compete to witness His Majesty's boat driving and see the majesty of the Son of Heaven." ”

Yang Guang smiled proudly: "In fact, I went out on patrol like this, although I spent some money, but I also learned the lessons of the kings of the past dynasties, as a king, you can't live in the palace, don't look at your own people, don't look at your own rivers and mountains, like those kings of the Southern Dynasty, one by one with fat powder on their faces, long in the hands of the descendants of the deep palace, after ascending the throne, they are also locked in the palace all day long, not caring for the people's feelings, not knowing the people's livelihood, this will be the luck of the country, such as Chen Shubao, even my Great Sui army soldiers are not aware of it, How can the nation not die? It is only after I learned their lesson that I want to travel around the world, see the rivers and mountains of the Great Sui with my own eyes, and let the people see the chariots of the Son of Heaven, knowing that I breathe and share the same fate with them, and are not unreachable gods. ”

Yu Shiji smiled "hehe": "So the people along the river will definitely be very happy to pay tribute to their daughters to the Son of Heaven, and they are fortunate to serve His Majesty, which is their blessing." ”

Yang Guang was about to answer with a smile, when he suddenly thought of something, and frowned slightly: "Yu Aiqing, have you ever considered one thing?" These young girls, let them stand against the sun, with cattle and sheep on the shore to pull fiber, one by one tanned and smelly, sweating profusely, the people will not say that I am violent and destroy the heavens! It's not good, it's not good, you better change the way, why don't you let Sergeant Xiaoguo pull and show the strength and courage of my Da Sui man, how about it? ”

Yu Shiji shook his head: "A sergeant is a sergeant, the people are afraid of soldiers, but they are afraid that they will be too scared to come out when the time comes, it is better to let these beauties pull the boat, as for the question that the Supreme said, Rong Chen will think about it again and then reply." Yu Shiji said, but his mind was spinning rapidly, and in this moment's effort, three or four proposals appeared in his mind one after another, but they were not very realistic, suddenly, his eyes lit up, and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, the minister has thought of a way." ”

Yang Guang hurriedly asked, "What's the method, say it quickly." ”

Yu Shiji smiled: "What Your Majesty is worried about is that when these girls pull the boat, they will be exposed to the wind and sun, so they will become dark and smelly, right?" ”

Yang Guang nodded: "Could it be that Aiqing wants someone on the side to keep holding an umbrella to accompany them?" ”

Yu Shiji shook his head: "This is not good, I think that as long as willow trees are planted on the banks of the river on both sides, this problem can be solved." ”

Yang Guang's eyes lit up: "How do you say this?" ”

Yu Shiji said with a smile: "The willow tree grows very quickly in the south, especially in the watery place on the river bank, as long as it takes more than a year to work, it can generate a big tree that one person hugs, and the willow is dense and weeping willows are shady, which is enough to shelter from the wind and rain, cover the scorching sun, plus the water component on the riverbank, even if it is hot in the hot summer, walking on the riverbank of this willow-shaded river, it will also be a gentle breeze, so that it will not sweat like pulp, and it will be black and smelly." ”

"The willow tree has deep roots, once planted on the bank of the river, it can solidify the soil and water, strengthen the embankment, so as not to let the soil of the embankment on both sides of the river be swept away by the water, this is one of them, the willow shade into the wind, can give these girls shade the sun and rain, relieve their labor, this is the second, the willow leaves to the ground, those cattle and sheep can eat these leaves, even eat while walking, maintain their animal strength, reduce the grass for these cattle and sheep along the way, this is the third. With these three benefits, why not do it?! ”

Yang Guang was about to laugh, and suddenly shook his head again: "Yu Aiqing, although your idea is good, but who will plant this willow tree, digging the river can make the people serve this forced service, but after planting the willow tree, it must be maintained when it is young, and it cannot be left alone, otherwise once there is a lack of willow trees in a certain area, those girls at the foot of the palace (the girl who pulls the boat is called the girl at the foot of the palace, which was also invented by Yang Guang) will not suffer again." I can't say that this kind of willow tree is also a kind of forced labor, so I have to ask the people to do it. ”

Yu Shiji smiled slightly: "Of course, you can't let the people plant a willow tree as a conscription, but Your Majesty has a way to stimulate these people to take the initiative to plant trees." For example, planting a tree, rewarding a piece of silk, or reducing the tax of the same amount of silk, itself each household has to produce two horses of silk a year, so that as long as you plant eight trees, you don't have to pay this tax, I think the people along the coast will definitely cheer and sigh at Your Majesty's grace to them. ”

Yang Guang clapped his hands excitedly: "Good idea, Yu Aiqing, you are so talented." Just do as you say, haha, when the time comes, I will give this willow tree the surname Yang, and in the future, the willow trees on both sides of the Tongji Canal will be called Yangliu, as a national tree, so that people in the world can see this willow tree, and they will know the kindness of our Great Sui Emperor. ”

A smug look flashed in Yu Shiji's eyes: "Your Majesty." ”

Yang Guang stroking his beard proudly: "But there is one more thing, even if the Grand Canal is dug and I arrive in Jiangdu, there is no suitable palace, to be honest, if Jiangdu is Xianren Palace or Ziwei Palace in Luoyang, then I really have the intention of living in Jiangdu for a long time." ”

Yu Shiji nodded: "In fact, if Your Majesty intends to travel the world often, you can build a palace around the Chi Road and the canal, thinking that it is a place to rest during the festival, and there is also an opportunity for officials from all over the country to show their loyalty, like in Jiangdu, if Your Majesty intends to stay for a long time, find a powerful minister, and build it again like the construction of the eastern capital, isn't it also very easy, Luoyang New City, it will be all built in more than a year, and Jiangdu is only afraid that it will be easier." ”

Yang Guang nodded: "I actually agree with Aiqing's opinion, the Son of Heaven patrols the Quartet, it is meant to have palaces everywhere, and it can't be like this patrol, let me sleep in the wilderness every day, after all, this is a Turkic place, and I will endure it, but in my Dasui territory, it is ten days and half a month without seeing a day, which is not enough, I have always intended to do this, but those old ministers are always opposed, even Zhang Heng and Su Wei and others, who have a hostile position, also said in unison that this is a waste of people's power, It will make the world tired and give birth to civil change, hum, I listen to these words every day, and my ears are calloused! ”

Yu Shiji nodded vigorously: "Your Majesty, in fact, the minister has the courage to speculate, this will not tire me at all, and the people of the world will have to serve in the conscription on a regular basis, isn't it just to build palaces and dig canals." The Great Sui has not fought a big war for six or seven years, and the people have nourished enough, let them spend a few months to build dozens of palaces, that is no problem at all, at most do not use these local migrant workers who dig rivers, Xiangjiang is dependent on Jiangnan, let the people of Jiangnan come to hundreds of thousands of people to build palaces in Yangzhou. ”

Yang Guang nodded with satisfaction: "It seems that there is no need to talk to too many people to discuss these important matters, as long as you discuss with Aiqing, then who do you think is more suitable to be the palace eunuch of Jiangdu?" ”R1152