novelaction Chapter 219: Jingzhao is about to get lively!
Chapter 219: Jingzhao is about to get lively!
Inside the Prince of Zhennan's mansion, Yan Feibai's eyes were wide open with anger, and he slammed his palm on the table, causing the teacups to clink.
"What are you all doing? How come the emperor ordered Wan Wan to go to the border, such a big thing, has only been revealed now? Now that the imperial decree has been issued, is there any room for maneuver?"
A group of men knelt in the hall, each of them silent as a mouse, their foreheads pressed against the ground, not daring to breathe.
Qin Yu stood aside, his face as gloomy as water.
His subordinates also didn't hear anything, and by the time they found out, the imperial edict had already been issued. The only noteworthy thing was that the Prince of Dongping hurried into the palace early this morning.
Wan Wan was sent to the border, could it be related to him?
At this time, Yan Wanwan walked in heroically in military uniform.
She clasped her fists and saluted Yan Feibai: "Dad, this is a good thing, you don't have to be sad."
Yan Feibai sighed deeply and said earnestly, "My daughter, you have never been to the battlefield, so you don't know how dangerous it is. The Northern Di people are brave and good at fighting, and they are full of tricks. Dad is afraid that you will suffer... Wait a minute, Dad will go to the palace to ask the emperor to revoke his order. If he doesn't agree, the worst that can happen is that we..."
The word "rebellion" almost came out of his mouth, but was stopped by Yan Wanwan.
"Father, if you go, you'll be deceiving the king. Besides, times have changed. The difficulties we faced back then may not be the same as they are now." Yan Wanwan's eyes held a mysterious smile. "With your daughter's abilities, the Northern Di people are nothing to be afraid of."
Yan Feibai looked at his daughter's determined eyes and was speechless for a moment.
He knew that his daughter, who had always refused to admit defeat, had grown up, but... that was a battlefield! How could he feel at ease?
Yan Feibai wanted to say something else, but Yan Wanwan had already turned around and looked at Qin Yu.
Her gaze lingered on his face for a moment, "Please take good care of my dad for me."
"Of course! Don't worry." Qin Yu promised solemnly.
Yan Wanwan smiled brightly, stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder, then quickly mounted her horse and said, "Let's go!"
At a command, he headed straight for the border with his guards.
Yan Feibai stared blankly at his daughter's receding figure, lost in thought. Gone just like that? He still couldn't accept it.
Qin Yu stood beside him, his eyes still fixed on the direction where Yan Wanwan left, until he could no longer see her figure, then he slowly withdrew his gaze.
He lowered his head and took out a letter from his bosom. This was the letter Yan Wanwan had left when she patted his shoulder. Looking at the contents of the letter, he couldn't help but exclaimed, "Father-in-law, come and see!"
"Shut up. If I hear you call me father-in-law again, I will..." Yan Feibai's voice stopped abruptly. He was shocked by the contents of the letter at a glance.
He snatched it away and read it carefully from beginning to end. "This... Wan Wan asked us to prepare personnel to take over the border? What does this mean?"
Not only was his brain sluggish, but even his voice was stuck. Why was he sending someone to take over the affairs when the battle hadn't even begun? Was his daughter being arrogant? Or just delusional?
Qin Yu lowered his voice and said solemnly, "Do as Wan Wan said."
? ?
Yan Feibai's eyes widened in disbelief. "Nonsense! Wan Wan doesn't understand the ins and outs of this. Don't you know it either?"
It is easy to send people over, but it is difficult to hide it from the court's spies. Once they are found out that they have sent people to take over the border without authorization, they will not be able to escape the charge of treason. Although they have the intention to rebel, it is not the time yet.
"Wan Wan is not the type to act recklessly. She must have certain confidence in making such an arrangement. We must not hold her back." Qin Yu had inexplicable confidence in her and believed that she was not the kind of person who would act without a purpose.
That's what he said, but... Yan Feibai gritted his teeth and said, "Okay! At most, he'll be discovered, so what? Why should I be afraid of him?"
Qin Yu chuckled. The two of them were originally loyal to the court, but until now they have seen clearly the court's attitude towards them. They are willing to serve such a court and such a monarch and even sacrifice their lives. Even if they can, they still have to think about their relatives and the soldiers under their command.
"Don't worry, father-in-law. I'll take care of the manpower."
"Okay, I need to quickly gather people to protect Wan Wan. Nothing can go wrong along the way."
Yan Feibai left in a hurry. Qin Yu glanced at the note in his hand and put the letter paper on the candle flame to burn. A line of words faintly appeared: Beidi is pacified, and Yanguan is in control of the mountains and rivers.
He looked up into the void, "Just taking over is so boring. It's time for Jingzhao to become lively again."
Just three days after Yan Wanwan left Beijing, the court suddenly fell into an unprecedented crisis.
Urgent reports from various prefectures and cities poured into the capital like snowflakes, and memorials requesting support from the court piled up on the imperial desk. Drought ravaged the north, destroying crops; floods ravaged the south, displacing civilians; locusts swarmed the west, obscuring the sky; and tidal waves in the east, ravaging the salt pans.
News of the empty treasury spread like wildfire, shocking the government and the public. The treasury, once overflowing, was now struggling to cover daily expenses, let alone provide aid to the various provinces.
The Minister of Revenue knelt before the emperor and reported in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, taxes from all regions have been delayed in arriving at the treasury. The treasury... the treasury is completely empty."
The emperor was furious and slammed the table and asked: "Where did my money go?"
In the court, all the ministers were silent.
Only the Prince of Dongping stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I find this matter suspicious. Although the disaster is severe across the country, tax revenue has never been so short in previous years. I suspect...someone is embezzling the national treasury."
As soon as this statement came out, the whole court was in an uproar.
At this moment, a guard rushed into the hall and knelt down to report: "Your Majesty, the Yingchuan County Magistrate sent someone to deliver an urgent report!"
The emperor frowned and said, "Show it to me."
The eunuch took the urgent report and presented it with both hands. The emperor unfolded it and his face changed suddenly: "The Yingchuan prefect said that he discovered a large number of smuggling caravans in the South China Sea. The goods they were carrying were all food and supplies that the court urgently needed!"
There was an uproar in the court.
A strange look flashed in Grand Tutor Zhou's eyes, and he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this matter is of no small importance. I beg you to thoroughly investigate this case and uncover the mastermind behind it!"
The emperor pondered for a moment and was about to speak when he saw the Prince of Dongping striding into the hall.
"Your Majesty," the Prince of Dongping knelt on one knee, "I have an important matter to report."
"speak."
The Prince of Dongping stood up, looked directly at Grand Tutor Zhou, and said in a sonorous voice, "I have intercepted a carrier pigeon. The contents inside are closely related to this South China Sea smuggling caravan. I would like to ask Your Majesty to review it."
The emperor looked at him thoughtfully. When did this man become interested in other matters of the court?
However, he only took one look and was so shocked that he stood up and asked, "Are you serious?"
"Yes, I also found some evidence."
The Prince of Dongping immediately presented some other books. The hall fell silent, and everyone looked at the furious emperor in fear.
What exactly is that?