Chapter 171: Choice

It was night, in the middle of the night, at the time of the third watch, the military officials were woken up from their sleep by the guards sent by the palace, one by one unkempt sat in the carriage, galloped through the streets and alleys, and from time to time rushed with colleagues, according to the size of the official rank, led by Prime Minister Xiao Cheng, the convoy of hundreds of officials became more and more spectacular, and finally gathered in the palace before Zhao Zhi's patience ran out.

That night, the hundred officials decided to send an escort army to march overnight and enter Beijing by carrying salt on their backs.

At the same time, the city posted notices, and the people's grievances subsided. Yang Mu and Zhu stood side by side on top of the tall building, the two of them were hunting in the cold wind, looking at the snake-like winding city guards from afar, Yang Mu looked at Zhu with a smile and said: "Now that you have lost, I didn't expect Zhao Zhi to come up with such a stupid and effective method." ”

Zhu raised her eyebrows disapprovingly, and said lightly: "The real war has just started," she tilted her head slightly, looked at Yang Mu with a smile and said: "Beijing is short of salt, you can call the city guards to carry it, what if there is a shortage of rice?" “

After that, she looked up at the sky and said, "Don't forget, this rice also depends on Cao Yun." ”

Rice has a rice road, salt has a salt road, all along, although it is the same river, but it is clear, but it is just to involve the interests of too many people.

Since the beginning of the salt shortage, Zhao Zhi has not been very concerned, that is, because he can also requisition and transport some salt to emergency situations, but in this way, the shortage of food is more likely to provoke the people's uprising, so Zhao Zhi will not take this road unless it is absolutely necessary.

didn't think about it, didn't wait for him to take this road, the road was already dead.

Following the salt shortage in Beijing, there was a rice shortage again, and there was already an incident of looting rice shops in the poorest eastern district, Zhao Zhi looked gloomy, staring at the Manchu Dynasty, and the hundred officials knelt on the ground in fear.

Zhao Zhi was extremely annoyed, and the words were cold and piercing: "You Aiqing sing praises of this peaceful and prosperous era year after year, Taiping, it is really peaceful, there is no salt to buy in the capital, there is no grain to buy, how do you call me to face the ancestors and ancestors, how to face the people of the world?!" ”

The contact between the ministers and the ground has become more intimate, and they can't wait for a hole to appear on the ground, and they can drill into it entirely.

Zhao Zhi sneered, and said again: "The boats used for salt and grain are all specially made, which are three times higher than the price of civilian ferries, and they are renovated every year. ”

Lord Liu of the Salt Division is also a ruthless character, knowing that it is useless to shirk responsibility now, so he simply and neatly only tells the facts: "At the time of maintenance this year, the mechanics of the dock recommended the use of the newly discovered poplar wood, which can be made in three years, the wood is dense and wear-resistant, and the price is three percent cheaper than the original fir wood....... But he didn't dare to say anything about killing him.

Zhao Zhi grabbed a bunch of splits in his hand and threw them on Liu Yansi's body: "Sancheng? It's only 30% cheaper?? How can carpentry say that it is less than 20% of the original? You moth of the country, you deceive the things that are hidden from the upper and lower, come, push me out of the noon gate, and cut it down. ”

Emperor Ning was furious, no one dared to raise his head, Zhao Zhi was so angry that he trembled, is this world still my world?

He gritted his teeth and issued an order: "Spread my will, all the forbidden troops in Beijing should go out of the city and carry food." ”

Xiao Dongliu raised his head sharply and persuaded: "Your Majesty, don't." ”

After the city guards went out of the city to transport salt, the city of Ningdu was empty of air defense, and the forbidden army had been partially transferred to help maintain order in the city.

Zhao Zhi was extremely tired, he glanced at Xiao Dongliu indifferently, and said in a hoarse voice: "If you send the forbidden army out of the city, the city can still be slowed down, if it is delayed any longer, the people will have no salt and no food to make a civil uprising, and the army will have no food and no salt, but the military will be a military mutiny, do you want to sit back and wait for death?!" ”

Xiao Dongliu was silent for a moment, still insisting on his opinion, and said stubbornly: "The food that one person can carry on the march is afraid that it is not enough to eat on the way to and from Kyoto, please think twice!" ”

Zhao Zhi sat up straight suddenly, then sat back down, and muttered: "The sky is going to kill my Daning, and the sky is going to kill my Daning......"

When the letter sent by Yang Mu arrived, Zhu was seriously teaching Wei, Wei was curious, and he also came over to read the letter, Zhu raised the letter high, tilted his head, looked at Er, and smiled brightly: "Wei'er, if you want others to act according to your heart, what will you do?" ”

Wei tilted his head and thought for a while, and said seriously: "It's good to let him only see the immediate benefits, just like the last time the fifth aunt took us out, I saw a stupid donkey who only cared about the radish in front of his nose, but he didn't know that if the donkey rider was unwilling, it would never be able to eat the radish." ”

Zhu smiled and nodded, agreeing with Wei's answer, Wei rubbed the tip of his nose with his index finger, and smiled, but Zhu asked again: "What if this person has everything, and all the benefits of the world can't impress him?" ”

Wei's little face immediately wrinkled into a bag, in his heart, everything can be bought and sold, and it is simply impossible for someone not to be driven by interests.

Zhu touched his head and said decisively: "Then take away what he has, drive him to a dead end, and when he can't escape, give him another way to live, and when the time comes, he will naturally follow the path you gave,"

Just when Emperor Ning Zhao Zhi and the hundred officials were sitting in the city of sorrow, the gods appeared, countless sampan boats sprung up like mushrooms after a rain, and countless salt grains were sent all the way into the capital along the river bank.

The rice shop and salt shop in the capital opened quickly, and there were still many people who were worried that there would be another famine in the future, so everyone tried to buy as much as possible, and the owner of the rice shop looked at the steady stream of rice and grain from the backyard, and shouted arrogantly: "Buy as much as you want." ”

Relieved of the big trouble, Zhao Zhi was in a good mood, the day before, he was afraid that he would be irritable and annoyed Xiaoju, so he had restrained himself, and had never stepped into the harem, seeing that there was no more worries, he immediately came to find Xiaoju with great interest, and wanted to share the news with her as soon as possible.

As soon as he entered the palace gate, he collided with Feng Shun, who was in a hurry, he was in a good mood, and he didn't care, and quipped: "Father-in-law Feng is in a hurry to do the club?" Is it too wet again? ”

Feng Shun saw that it was Zhao Zhi, and he didn't care about the difference between master and servant, so he grabbed Zhao Zhi's sleeve and said breathlessly: "Queen, queen......"

Zhao Zhi was shocked, Feng Shun has been steady and reliable with him for so many years, he has never seen such a panic, even if the society was unstable a few days ago, he is also an old god who is arranging all affairs properly, is it, Xiaoju?

Zhao Zhi immediately shook off Feng Shun and strode into the palace, but when he saw that all the palace maids and eunuchs were nowhere to be seen, he became more and more anxious and went straight to Xiaoju's dormitory.

As soon as I pushed the door open, I saw that the palace maids and eunuchs kneeling in this palace were densely packed in front of me, and all of them didn't say a word, and their bodies fell to the ground.

Across the palace maid and eunuch who knelt on the ground, Zhao Zhi saw Xiaoju dressed in green clothes and cloth from afar, facing the sky, and after glancing at him in the air, he stretched out his feet without hesitation, and just like that, he stepped on the back of the person kneeling on the ground, and walked slowly and firmly to the outside of the palace.

Like Ling Bo's immortal, and like an elf who strayed into the mortal world, Xiaoju was high, step by step, and finally walked to Zhao Zhi's side, she stood on the back of the last person, looked down at Zhao Zhi condescendingly, and opened her mouth lightly: "My sister wants me to ask Your Majesty, do you want a beauty, or a country?" ”

Zhao Zhi was like five thunderbolts, in an instant, he figured out everything, why the maintenance of the boat would bury hidden dangers, why the requisition of private ships but no ships could be found, why the government's convoy would be repeatedly frustrated, why the salt shortage and grain shortage had just been solved, why there were suddenly so many sampan boats spontaneously sending rice and salt, all of this suddenly had an explanation, home, home has become so powerful!

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said with difficulty, "If yes, what if you want it?" ”

Xiao Ju looked him directly into the eyes and said calmly: "Your Majesty is afraid that there will be nothing." ”

Zhu has always been not a tolerant person, she believes in a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye, it used to be Xu Qiyuan, now it is Zhao Zhi, who owes the family, one by one, she has to get it back, she only sent someone to ask the eighth sister: "Do you remember what you said ten years ago?" Do you want to go home? ”

Xiaoju thought simply, Zhu ignored the people in the city, he could help hundreds of people, save thousands of people, and give grace to tens of thousands of people, but if one end of the balance was the flesh and blood of his closest relatives, then ten thousand people would be as light as a feather.

Zhu will not give the opponent a chance to turn the tables, and in a few days, the boat will be repaired properly, and if it is to be rearranged, it will take a lot of scheming means, and she only gave Zhao Zhi half a day.

This half-day was the longest and shortest half-day in Zhao Zhi's life, and Xiaoju always sat opposite him, not looking at him or speaking, quietly like a clay sculpture Bodhisattva in the temple.

Half a day passed, Zhao Zhi finally turned his head, Xiaoju silently walked in front of him, bowed down and made a blessing, and went to the outside of the palace.

Zhao Zhi stood up in despair, followed her all the way, and saw that the last section was about to reach the noon gate, the noon gate had already been opened, and the bamboo was dressed in a green shirt, looking at his sister with a smile, as long as he stepped out of the noon gate, from then on, the sky was high and the birds could fly.

Feng Shun rushed out panting halfway with Zhao Chong in his hand, he put down Zhao Chong with one hand, Zhao Chong immediately hugged Xiaoju's thigh, and cried: "Queen Mother, Queen Mother, don't go." ”

Xiaoju lowered her head and looked at him for a long time, and said softly: "Don't call the queen mother, call the mother." ”

Zhao Chong looked at Xiaoju pitifully, and called out with a crying voice: "Mother, don't you want to rush to the child?" ”

Xiao Ju touched his head, bent down, picked up his son, and continued to walk out without looking back, Zhao Zhi bit his lower lip, and one hand almost pinched into Feng Shun's arm, and he finally didn't follow.