"What does Lord Li need to meet the emperor for? I wonder if you can reveal a little bit to me? Looking at Li Shanchang's dodging appearance, Chu Liuyan felt that there was something in this, so he asked deliberately.

"Alas, not trivial; But if I don't ask the emperor, if something happens, I can't take responsibility. Li Shanchang looked left and right about him.

"It seems that the things that Zuo Xiangguo wants to report are not like trivial things; If not, why do you come to see the emperor on this day? I don't think Master Lee has forgotten what day it is. Chu Liuyan, who didn't want Li Shanchang to pass the test, didn't let him get through this time so easily.

"Oops! How did I forget about this, it seems that I have to be careful today, but don't be messed up by this mother-in-law. Thinking about you secretly in my heart, Li Shanchang said in your mouth: "I remember that today is the day when the emperor let the civil and military officials and the people enjoy together, how could I forget; Besides, it seems that King Pingshuo also came out of the palace. ”

"I am just going to the palace today to make a statement to the emperor on how to restore the national strength; I've never been unspeakable to people in doing things, so you're satisfied. Chu Liuyan looked at the other party directly, and concisely pushed the problem to Li Shanchang again.

"It seems that King Pingshuo is wholeheartedly for the public, this is true, at this time when the whole world is celebrating, the prince of Chu is still working on national affairs, admire! Admire! The old man sighed to himself. Li Shanchang avoided the topic and kept praising him.

"Lord Li is worthy of Xiangguo, he is so smooth in his speech and deeds, and he said so much nonsense, but he didn't say what he wanted to see the emperor." Chu Liuyan spoke directly to make it clear, and see how this old fox could hide it.

"This.... This one...... It's fine; Yes... By the way, the purpose of my entry into the palace this time is the same as that of the prince of Chu, and it is also a strategy to enhance national strength; It is hoped that the emperor's approval will be obtained in order to be implemented as soon as possible. Li Shanchang, who was as cunning as a fox, rolled his eyes and said again.

"Since Master Li doesn't want to say it, forget it, how can I really want to know Lord Li's suggestion; However, I still advise adults to say a word, if you want people to know, unless you do nothing; Before doing some things, it is better to weigh them. After speaking, Li Shanchang, who was stunned without waiting for breath, let out a loud voice, and Chu Liuyan hugged his fists and turned around and left the noon gate.

"You........ You ........" Li Shanchang, who just wanted to fight back, saw Chu Liuyan striding away, so he had to turn around and walk towards the imperial study in a huff........

*********

The three-day celebration passed quickly, and on the fourth day, Chu Liuyan walked out of the queue without waiting for Zhu Yuanzhang to ask, raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, the minister has a play." ”

"Bring it in." The emperor said loudly; The Yellow Gate official stepped down from the stage and presented the fold to the emperor. Unfolded a look, Zhu Yuanzhang showed a satisfied smile on his face, raised his head and said: "Pingshuo Wang played, the integration of the widow insisted; Yellow Gate Official, pass it on, let all the ministers see it. ”

bowed down to take over the Yellow Gate official and walked down quickly; handed over the fold to Zuo Xiangguo Li Shanchang first, and he hurriedly unfolded it, stared at it carefully, and did not wait to finish reading; He spoke up and said, "This is a great idea, it is very good!" As he spoke, his eyes continued to look; After he finished reading it and handed it to Xu Da, the right minister, his mouth was still full of praise.

Seeing that Li Shanchang also admired Chu Liuyan's twists and turns, the Manchu Dynasty civil and military officers who didn't see the twists and turns were looking at the twists and turns that had not yet been transmitted from time to time; And the officials who had seen the twists and turns were actively and busily talking to each other.

When the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty commented on this matter, the emperor opened his mouth and said: "Everyone, what do you think? ”

"Your Majesty, the prince of Chu's performance is too incisive, if it is handled according to this, the national strength will be greatly improved in a short period of time." Li Shanchang, who has always been in opposition to Chu Liuyan, stood up at this time and supported it loudly.

The emperor who nodded yes had more smiles on his face; The problem that had plagued him for a long time was solved by Chu Liuyan, who had outstanding strategy, in the past few days; It seems that he did the right thing to do by naming her the king of Pingshuo.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who secretly praised himself in his heart, saw that the ministers were still discussing what Chu Liuyan had played, so he asked here: "Since all Aiqing have no objection to what King Pingshuo played, the widow will instruct the Zhongshu Order to write this into the official regulations, and from now on, it will be notified to the whole country and implemented." ”

"The emperor is wise!" All the civil and military officials shouted in unison.

"Retreat!" In the sound of the mountain, Zhu Yuanzhang walked out of the main hall and walked towards the apse. Soon, the regulations promulgated by the Ministry of Rites were delivered to all county offices across the country; Then the officials wrote it as a notice and posted it in the four towns and eight neighbors, hoping that everyone would know about it.

Since the dynasty had just been established, officials at all levels were still relatively clean, so the implementation of this regulation was also relatively standardized; Many poor people who had no land abandoned their homes and businesses to reclaim their own land in large flat areas of barren land; In this way, the fertile land that had been barren during the war was redeveloped. As a result, many families have their own source of livelihood.

Sitting in the imperial study, watching the good news played by the local officials, Zhu Yuanzhang felt in a good mood; When the officials sent the country's treasury revenue and expenditure, they were even more smiling.

Taishi Zhongshu Zuo Cheng Xianglu military affairs and the crown prince and young master of the Korean Gong Li Shanchang happened to be accompanying at this time, and saw that Zhu Yuanzhang was very appreciative of the regulations on the national tax ratio, but he interjected and said: "Your Majesty, the minister has a saying, I don't know whether to say it or not." ”

"Li Aiqing, if you have anything to say, don't spit out, just say it." Zhu Yuanzhang, who was in a good mood, said with a very easy-going expression.

"I'm afraid of disturbing Your Majesty's good mood." Li Shanchang bowed down and saluted and said.

"The widow will forgive you from sin." Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said.

"When the minister saw the words 'Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions,' he remembered what His Majesty had confessed to me last time when he announced that I had entered the palace; I sent people to investigate, but the people in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions all had the dead Zhang Shicheng in their hearts; and they used the excuse of setting up a god card to set up Zhang Shicheng's spiritual seat in every house."

"It turns out that this thing is true, and it is necessary to waste such a good policy of mine to make them live a good life; It seems that these people should be punished. Zhu Yuanzhang scolded angrily.

"I wonder how Your Majesty wants to punish these people?" Li Shanchang asked cautiously.

"Li Aiqing, how do you say to treat these people?" Zhu Yuanzhang turned his face, looked at Li Shanchang and asked.

"This ...... This one......... It is better for your Majesty to make up your mind on this issue; You are the emperor, but Chrysostom said that everything you say is correct; All the subjects of the whole country should obey. Li Shanchang, who didn't want to be scolded, said resignedly.

"What? Zuo Xiangguo, who has always been outspoken, is what's wrong today, how he is spitting and spitting, and he doesn't dare to speak freely. Zhu Yuanzhang was familiar with Li Shanchang's attitude towards himself, and when he saw him like this today, he asked a little strangely.

"Since the emperor asked the old minister's opinion, the old minister spoke bluntly; I think that since the people in these places have been secretly fighting against the imperial court in this way, we might as well make a fuss about taxation; Let them know that the majesty of the court is not to be violated. General Li Shanchang took the opportunity to say what he had prepared.

"Well, that's a good idea; You immediately write out the specific method, hand over the recital to the upper study, and then I send an edict to let the officials in this area act according to the order, I don't believe that they are still in the mood to miss Zhang Shicheng in this situation. Zhu Yuanzhang said loudly in a vicious tone.

"Your Majesty, since you want to implement a new tax system, why don't you transfer the officials in these places, maybe this system will be implemented faster, I don't know what Your Majesty means?" was already thinking of trying to plant his own forces, such a good opportunity, how could Li Shanchang give up.

"Well, in the recital, you can consider a few officials who are dedicated to the imperial court, and write their names in the recital; By the way, I wrote them in the edict and published them in the court; Let them be ordered to go to these places, so that they may rule over these recalcitrant villagers. ”

"Obey." Li Shanchang, who was full of joy, bowed down again, saluted and said.

"Alright, that's all for today; You'll bring it in tomorrow, and I'll take care of it as soon as possible. As he spoke, Zhu Yuanzhang raised his hand and gestured outward.

"Resignation." After speaking, Li Shanchang withdrew from the imperial study, turned around and walked outside the palace; Walking on the empty stone road, Li Shanchang had a mood that wanted to laugh. It's just that in this strict palace, the consequences of this kind of behavior, he Li Shanchang is clear, he can only hold back his excitement, walk out of the noon gate quickly, sit in his eight-carried sedan chair, and laugh in a low voice............

**********

A few days passed, and while the people of the whole country were cheering that they finally had their own land, the people in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas learned that from now on, the people in this area would pay ten times as much as the people in the neighboring provinces. In this way, the people's newfound joy fell to the bottom again.

The area of Jiangsu and Zhejiang was originally Zhang Shicheng's territory. The local people are very supportive of Zhang Shicheng. After Zhu Yuanzhang became the emperor, the people of Jiangsu and Zhejiang had many grievances, which made Zhu Yuanzhang very dissatisfied, and coupled with Li Shanchang's instigation, Zhu Yuanzhang naturally suppressed the people.

In the repeated calls of the people, some meritorious scholars and officials who are dedicated to the people jointly wrote to the imperial court, hoping to abolish this unreasonable clause; In the end, he annoyed the emperor and sent someone to arrest a few scholars and several officials among these people, escort them to the capital, and put them in prison.

Soon these things were also heard by Liu Bowen and Xu Da; On this day, Liu Bowen hurriedly came to the Right Prime Minister's Mansion and came to Xu Da to discuss how to handle this matter.

came to the gate of the mansion, without waiting for the official to report, Liu Bowen walked directly into the mansion; He was familiar with the way, and came directly to the outside of the study.

"Lao Xu, are you in there?" While shouting, Liu Bowen pushed open the door and walked in.

"What kind of wind is Liu Junshi today, blowing you here." As soon as he entered the door, Xu Da greeted him with a smile.

"Don't give me a sloppy look, I don't believe it, you don't know that the taxes in Jiangsu and Zhejiang have been tripled." Liu Bowen, who was in a hurry, directly stated the purpose of coming.

"Alas! Although I am the right minister, these things will be issued by the officials without going through me at all; I, the right-hand minister, can only take care of military affairs, and I am also very anxious about this matter. Xu Da sighed and said.

"But we, who are officials, must do something for these people; Are we not as good as those meritorious talents and magistrates? Liu Bowen shook his hands and said angrily.

"Now that the emperor has just announced this regulation, I think it will be difficult to withdraw it in the short term, so it is better to find an opportunity to wait for a while and write to explain this matter." Xu Da, who knew Zhu Yuanzhang's character well, said helplessly.

"Yes! According to the emperor's temperament, I am afraid that it will be really difficult to take back his fate immediately, and it seems that he has to wait a little longer; It's just that this will make your Li people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang suffer. Liu Bowen, who felt heartbroken, could only watch the people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang fall into hardships and hardships, and there was nothing he could do...........

***********

In the south of the town of Nanxun Town, Wucheng County, Huzhou Road, there is a large-scale garden-like building complex, built with all kinds of flowers and trees to support the size of the garden, pavilions and pavilions are readily available, the corridor is tortuous, flowers and trees become forests; And between each pavilion, it is surrounded by small ponds that are crystal clear; However, these small ponds are connected by a variety of delicate trickles or undercurrents, which keep the water clear all year round. Inside, it is connected by five courtyards, and the construction is much more complicated, even a room has a hole, and it is not easy to enter and exit with heavy doors.

In the main hall of this building, a middle-aged woman dressed like a noble lady said to a man in his early half-hundreds, with big ears and broad waist, a beard, a pair of tiger eyes, and an extraordinary temperament: "Master, do you really want to do this? ”

"Alas! Can I watch the people struggle to death like this, and remain indifferent? The old man sighed and said softly.

"However, if the emperor still doesn't agree to your request in the end, what can you do?" The lady said with tears from her eyes.

"Hehe, if that's the case, even if I, Shen Wansan, didn't earn this share of the family property." Shen Wansan, who lacked confidence, had no choice but to cheer himself up with a self-laugh.

"Master, you better think about it again, don't annoy the newly enthroned emperor." Madame persuaded hard. "Say no more, I've made up my mind." Shen Wansan flicked his sleeves, turned around and left the main hall, and walked outside.

Soon, everyone in the manor knew that the lord was going to the capital to petition for the people of Li in Jiangsu and Zhejiang; At this time, the manor became lively; The grooms began to prepare the horses and chariots, and the steward began to tell his men to prepare this and that, and they had been busy preparing for several days.

On the morning when Shen Wansan was about to go out, all kinds of shouts came from the Shen Mansion again, causing all the villagers to run out of the house to send off this old man Shen who was petitioning for the people.

But in the inner hall, Mrs. Shen was still wiping her tears, and softly instructed the maids to carefully bandage the items that Shen Wansan needed to go out, in case she needed them from time to time.

"Madam, the lord went out this time, but he petitioned for the people, I don't know if the emperor will condemn him." A personal maid also asked with tears in her eyes, her tone intermittent because she was constantly sobbing.

"Xiaohong, the master is going, the good luck is uncertain, and I don't know if he will be in trouble." The old lady's tone had changed to a crying voice.

"I said madam, don't worry too much, I went to the capital this time, no matter what conditions the emperor proposed, I will try my best to agree to him; That way, I don't think he will be too difficult for me. Shen Wansan, who stepped into the house, saw that his wife was so sad, so he hurriedly comforted.

"Sir, you have to take care of your body; No matter what the emperor wants, as long as we have it at home, don't you don't agree........" Before the words fell, the lady had already cried on the maid's body.

"Alright, alright; I'm just going to Beijing to petition, not to the execution ground, so don't worry too much. After patting the still crying lady on the back a few times, Shen Wansan walked out of the door and went down to take a look.........

**********

"Your Majesty, there is Shen Wansan, a businessman from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, who is waiting for an order outside the noon gate, asking to see the emperor; I don't know if he is allowed to enter the palace to meet the emperor. "Right Xiangguo Xu Da walked out of the queue and reported to Zhu Yuanzhang in the early dynasty.

"What is the matter with him, he wants to go directly to the temple to meet me." When Zhu Yuanzhang heard that he was a businessman from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, he felt a little unhappy and said coldly.

He heard that the emperor wanted to build the wall of the imperial city, so he wanted to recommend himself to share the emperor's worries; He wanted to finance the construction of a third of the imperial city; I don't know if the emperor received him. As soon as Xu Da's words fell, the civil and military officials in the hall were amazed, and they all talked about this person's wealth, which was almost to the point of being rich and rivaling the country.

But these words fell into Zhu Yuanzhang's ears, making his anger even higher; This is also the most direct reason why Shen Wansan was almost killed in the end.

Zhu Yuanzhang really wanted to kill Shen Wansan just like that, but he thought of what Xu Da said, funding is indeed his biggest problem at present; Thinking of this, he suppressed his anger, calmed his tone, and said to Xu Da, who was still standing in the main hall: "Now you don't need to announce that he will enter the palace to meet me, you go and tell him, as long as he finishes building the wall on the east side of the imperial city; At that time, I will declare him into the palace. Retreat! Zhu Yuanzhang, who was about to rush out of his anger, finally finished saying these words, and immediately turned around and left the hall.

"Do you think the emperor will really be able to agree to Shen Wansan's petition in the end?" Xu Da, who walked out of the main hall, walked to Liu Bowen's side and asked.

"This matter, I'm afraid Shen Wansan thought about it too easily; If it doesn't make a good fuss, Shen Wansan will inevitably worry about his life. Liu Bowen shook his head and said.

"But now that you know that there will be such an outcome; Why don't you dissuade him from this idea? As soon as Xu Da heard Liu Bowen's words, beads of sweat immediately appeared on his forehead, and he said with some complaints.

"Well, what is the use of persuading her? He was devoted to the people, and did not listen to any dissuasion; In this case, let him try, maybe the emperor will really agree to his request in the end. Liu Bowen looked at Xu Da and said with a wry smile.

"I hope so, as soon as you say this, my heart will also be raised; Why do you think the emperor would promulgate such a law? Xu Da saw Liu Bowen's wry smile, so he had to change the topic and say.

"You haven't forgotten whose territory was originally in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, right?" Liu Bowen thought about it for a while, and asked with a somewhat solemn face.

"I haven't forgotten that the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions were originally entrenched by Zhang Shicheng; But what's wrong with this, every part of the country is not the territory of our Ming Dynasty; However, not all of them are still under our management, so why should Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions issue special regulations. Although Xu Da is extremely proficient in military affairs, he still doesn't know much about human nature, so he is still very puzzled.

"Lao Xu, don't ask again; You'd better go home and think about it yourself, and you'll understand. Liu Bowen was still very cautious about talking about the emperor, so he patted Xu Da on the shoulder and said with a smile.

"Since you, Lao Liu, have said so, what can I do? I had to go home and think about it myself. Xu Da, who was a little enlightened, also said with a smile; But there was still a hint of melancholy in the smile.

"Don't think too much, you hurry up and talk to Shen Wansan, think about it with him, maybe you can find a solution." Liu Bowen saw that he was still full of sadness, so he had no choice but to propose so.

"Yes! What's the use of me worrying here, I'll discuss it with Shen Wansan and let him pay attention to it himself. After speaking, Xu Da was about to leave quickly.

"What are you doing in such a hurry? When everyone is gone, you are meeting him, and maybe you can get into a little trouble; And, after you meet him, don't tell him these things; Just let him build the city wall well, and don't make another incident. Liu Bowen persuaded again.

"Alright! I listen to you. Saying that, Xu Da still left quickly...........

********

After receiving the emperor's will to officially build the city wall, Shen Wansan rented a large manor in Kyoto, and began to gather senior masons and many ordinary construction workers to start the construction of the city wall.

Completely unaware of the fact that he had been provoked, he went out early and returned late every day to inspect the construction site; At this time, he was very strict about the quality of the project, and he did not allow any place to cut corners.

He built these walls of fine granite, made of glutinous rice and coated with lime, which is said to be called iron walls.

"Butler!" Shen Wansan, who was looking at the ledger, raised his head and shouted.

"Master, what do you command?" Steward Wang, who ran in quickly, bowed slightly and asked.

"How's the workers' food lately? No one withholds their food, does it? Shen Wansan asked casually while remembering something.

"There's nothing wrong with that, I've checked these things with my own hands; I know that my lord hates these things the most, so I have to check them out every day. Steward Wang said, handing a small account book to Shen Wansan.

Taking the small account book, Shen Wansan flipped it slightly, then handed it to Steward Wang; Then he instructed: "For bricks, tiles and timber, you should always check them, and don't let others make trouble by making trouble; We are petitioning for the people this time, so we have taken over this work, and we must build it well, and we must not let people find fault with it and seize the handle; If that's the case, there's no point in what we're doing. Speaking of this, he sighed, and his face was not very good.

"Master, we contribute money and efforts to the country, can't we get one in exchange?" Seeing his sad appearance, Steward Wang asked cautiously.

"Haven't you heard that a companion is like a tiger; If these ministers are like this, how can we, the ordinary people, predict the power of heaven? Let's be careful, and after you go down, let those in charge pay attention to it, and don't make trouble. Shen Wansan commanded worriedly, and the expression on his face became even darker.

"Master, since it is difficult for us to please the emperor; Why did the lord have to do this? Steward Wang looked puzzled and asked a little strangely.

"It's man-made, if I don't try, how do I know if the emperor will take back his fate; As a member of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, I always have to do a little bit for the people. Shaking his head, Shen Wansan said with a wry smile on his face.

Hearing him say this, Steward Wang was speechless, so he had to stand aside, quietly wiping his tears, and quietly looking at Shen Wansan, who was still checking the account book; He couldn't figure out why the master had to ask for the people's life anyway.

Looking at the body that trembled a little from time to time due to a gentle cough; Steward Wang felt that this was a lonely back, but he wanted to support a little peaceful life for the people; This made him very emotional, and secretly wished that the master's kindness would be rewarded.

"Steward Wang, hurry up and prepare the car, I want to go to the construction site to have a look, but no one does not follow the rules." Shen Wansan turned his head to look at Steward Wang and continued, "Is there something wrong with you?" Why did the whole person become stunned. ”

"It's nothing, I'm just a little homesick all of a sudden, and I'm a little distracted." Steward Wang hurriedly explained.

"Yes! You haven't been back for a long time; But you can't do without it here, so it's better for you to write a letter and let someone take it back; Let's finish it quickly, or we can go home and reunite sooner. Shen Wansan commanded with deep sympathy.

"Thank you for your concern, I will definitely do things well, please don't worry about the villain's affairs." Steward Wang said comfortingly.

"Well, we don't want these sad things anymore; You hurry up and prepare, let's hurry up to the construction site to have a look, and you can rest assured. ”

"Yes! Master. Steward Wang bowed, then turned and left the room.......

**********

"Your Majesty, Shen Wansan is waiting outside the palace gate." In the early dynasty, the Yellow Gate official came in to report.

"Declare him into the temple." Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, glanced at the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs, and then said.

"Xuan Shen Wansan enters the hall!" One summons after another, gradually moving away, until it disappeared.

The kung fu was not big, Shen Wansan panted and bent over, and stepped into the hall with his head down; Take a few steps, plop up, and kneel on top of the main hall.

"Grass people Shen Wansan knocked to see His Majesty the Emperor; Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live. Shen Wansan said while kowtowing.

"Why do you ask to see a widow?" Zhu Yuanzhang said with a gloomy face and a low voice.

"The grass people were ordered by the emperor to build the city wall, and now they have completed their mission and come to hand in the order." Shen Wansan fell to the ground and said in a low voice.

"In that case, when I send someone to accept it, I will reward you well; Now go down to the temple. Zhu Yuanzhang's face shook and said in a deep voice.

"The grass people have another request, I hope the emperor can grant it." As soon as he heard that Zhu Yuanzhang was going to drive himself down the palace, Shen Wansan had no choice but to plead.

"Bold, you little grass people, dare to rely on a little money, like showing off your wealth in front of a widow; Not only that, but he also wants to blackmail the widow with this; Someone's coming! Put him in prison, wait for the interrogation in Dali Temple, and immediately ask for beheading! Zhu Yuanzhang, who had long been dissatisfied with Shen Wansan, immediately used his desire to blackmail himself as an excuse to kill this thorn in the eye.

Just as the guards rushed in and dragged Shen Wansan out, Liu Bowen stepped out of the queue in one step, saluted upwards and said: "Please calm the emperor's anger, Shen Wansan has just built the city wall, whether he has merit or not, he has always contributed to the court; If he is killed on this, I am afraid that the people of the world will discuss the emperor; Please think twice. ”

"Can't I kill people who despise the court so much?" Zhu Yuanzhang almost roared and said.

"The minister didn't dare to say that, but on this matter, Shen Wansan was not guilty of death." Liu Bowen continued to argue.

"Humph! A small grass people, relying on a few stinky money, wanted me to promise this and that, and whether there was a gift from a monarch or a minister; Without killing this person, it will be difficult to eliminate this trend of contempt for the DPRK. Zhu Yuanzhang still roared angrily.

saw what Liu Bowen played, but it was completely dismissed; In desperation, Xu Da also walked out of the queue, saluted upwards and said: "Please Your Majesty to calm your anger, Weichen feels that what Zhongshu Ling said is extremely true; If the people of the world heard that Shen Wansan was killed by the emperor after building the city wall; What will they say about the emperor, they are afraid it is difficult for them to know, this is Shen Wansan's contempt for the court and was convicted; The minister begged the emperor to pardon his crimes. ”

"Let no one intercede for him, or he will be guilty of the same sin." Zhu Yuanzhang roared angrily; Then he flicked his robe and left the hall; Immediately, the Huangmen official announced his retirement from the dynasty.

Seeing that things were really unpredictable, Liu Bowen and Xu Da retired from the dynasty; In the surprised eyes of the civil and military officials, they walked out of the noon gate quickly, sat in a sedan chair, and hurriedly walked to their respective mansions.

As soon as Xu Da entered the door, he came directly to the inner room. "Madam, hurry up and pack up and go to the inner palace to ask to see Queen Ma."

"Master, what's wrong with you today? Why do you want me to go and see the queen for no reason? Mrs. Xu, who didn't know what was going on, pushed away the maid who was waiting beside her; He stood up and asked in surprise.

"Alas!" Xu Da sighed heavily, sat on the chair, and then said: "The Shen Wansan who volunteered to build the city wall for the emperor, you know; I just want you to go and see the queen for his business, so that I can intercede for Shen Wansan. As he spoke, Xu Da told his wife from beginning to end why Shen Wansan wanted to build the city wall and how he met the emperor and was convicted.

"Hearing you say this, isn't this Shen Wansan a very good person? Why did the emperor treat him like this. Mrs. Xu still asked with some confusion.

"The emperor was originally dissatisfied with the people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang who supported Zhang Shicheng back then; Recently, I don't know who slandered again, and as a result, the emperor wanted to levy more taxes on the people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, which was ten times higher than that in other places; At the same time, Shen Wansan is a representative figure in this area, and the emperor also has the intention of killing chickens and setting an example for monkeys. Xu Da had no choice but to explain to his wife, so that after she entered the palace, she could explain what had happened.

"Okay, in that case, I'll go quickly." Mrs. Xu turned around and ordered: "Taohong, hurry up and tell the sedan chair man to prepare the sedan chair; Liu Xiang, you go and tell the account office to prepare a gift for the queen. With that, he turned and walked to the inner room.

Seeing that Mrs. had gone to prepare, Xu Da's face softened slightly, turned around and left the inner room, and walked towards the study......

**********

"Mrs. Xu, Mrs. Liu asks to see the queen." A palace lady walked into the harem and said softly.

"Hurry up, please." When Queen Ma heard this, she hurriedly ordered the palace maid.

"Niangniang has a will, Mrs. Xuan Xu, Mrs. Liu will meet you." One stood outside the palace