Father, I really don’t want to be the emperor

Opening a memorial, this was the latest memorial sent back from the northwest. The memorial was handwritten by Song Chengzhou. After reading the overall content of the memorial, Ning Fan looked even more excited.

In this memorial, Song Chengzhou clearly wrote all the exploration and excavation of the Northwest Grand Canal.

"Food! The most scarce thing now is food."

Ning Fan frowned.

The successive conquests in the northwest have seriously damaged the production in that area. Now the food produced is only enough to be self-sufficient, and many people do not have enough to eat or wear.

Song Chengzhou presided over the construction of the Grand Canal in the northwest and organized land reform in the northwest. However, it would take some time for the northwest to develop slowly like Jiangnan.

Ning Fan opened the map and looked at the entire Dakang territory and area carefully, and had a rough plan in mind.

Nowadays, there are two areas where Dakang needs labor the most. One area is Jiangnan. Jiangnan is now at the forefront of the industrial revolution, so labor is naturally needed in large quantities, followed by the northwest.

The construction of the Grand Canal in the northwest requires a large amount of labor, which is precisely what the northwest lacks most, because the labor force in the northwest has been almost exhausted for years.

A mere few hundred thousand or millions of young men are simply not enough to meet the current labor shortage in the northwest. After all, the northwest not only needs to build canals, but also has a large number of mines to operate.

A large number of coal mines, iron ores... require a large amount of labor every day.

Moreover, before the canal was put into use, and before the railway was laid to the northwest interior, these laborers had to bear the task of transportation.

Soon Ning Fan turned his attention to a location, which was the Nanyue area next to the Jiangnan area.

This area is mountainous and rainy, with abundant water resources, good crop growth, and high grain yield. Therefore, the total population of South Vietnam ranks first in Dakang.

Although this place cannot be called a land of plenty, the population is definitely sufficient and the quality of the population is high. If part of the population in this area can be moved to the northwest, then the labor shortage in the northwest can be filled very well.

"Your Majesty, why aren't you sleeping yet?"

A low voice came from outside the door. Ning Fan turned around and found that the door had opened and Xiaoyu was standing outside.

Xiaoyu is Xiao Lingxi's personal maid. Ever since Xiao Lingxi entered the palace, Xiaoyu has been following Xiao Lingxi.

However, Xiaoyu's identity was extraordinary, so Ning Fan decided to find a good opportunity to give Xiaoyu an identity as well.

"It's time to sleep."

Ning Fan took a look and found that Xiaoyu was holding a small tray with a few snacks on it, presumably late night snacks prepared by the imperial kitchen.

Ning Fan didn't have the habit of eating late night snacks, but since Xiaoyu came, he would bring some food to Ning Fan every other night, and this was always when Ning Fan was up late at night.

"It's already so late. Your Majesty, please eat something. Otherwise, your stomach will be empty and you will be too hungry to sleep."

Xiaoyu placed a few snacks on the table and poured half a glass of wine for Ning Fan.

The aroma of wine overflowed. Ning Fan picked it up and took a sip, then picked up some chopsticks and put some side dishes into his mouth.

"You should also sit down and eat something together."

At this time, the hottest summer has passed, and the weather has gradually turned cooler. It would be good to eat some side dishes and drink some wine late at night to warm up.

Xiaoyu did not obey Ning Fan's order to sit down, but walked around behind Ning Fan and pressed Ning Fan's shoulders with her weak, boneless hands.

Ning Fan was drinking wine and eating side dishes, thinking about important matters of his family and country, and he even forgot that there was such a person standing behind him.

It took a long time for Ning Fan to realize that Xiaoyu was still busy behind him, so he quickly took Xiaoyu's hand and asked him to sit down.

"You have been working so hard all day, are you tired? You must learn to give yourself a holiday and rest."

Ning Fan said with some distress.

He and Xiaoyu had a physical relationship, and they became closer when talking to each other. Moreover, when he got along with Xiaoyu, he was not as polite as when he was with other women.

In fact, in Ning Fan's heart, Xiaoyu is a very humane, pyrotechnic woman, a little selfish, a little greedy for power, but mostly kind.

"Your Majesty, I have something to ask of you."

Xiaoyu suddenly knelt down.

Seeing Xiaoyu like this, Ning Fan was shocked and didn't know what Xiaoyu was going to do.

He put down his chopsticks and managed to calm down, guessing Xiaoyu's purpose.

According to Ning Fan's speculation, there are probably two types of Xiaoyu's demands. The first is for him to make him a concubine. This is not difficult for Ning Fan, as long as he finds a suitable opportunity.

The second appeal is that something happened in Xiaoyu's family. This is not a big problem for Ning Fan. After all, Ning Fan is the emperor, and everything is a matter of one sentence.

"You get up first, I allow you. If you have anything to say, just tell me."

Ning Fan directly agreed.

Hearing what Ning Fan said, Xiaoyu still didn't get up. Instead, her eyes were red and tears were streaming down her face. When Ning Fan saw Xiaoyu's performance, he immediately felt that there was a problem. It might be a bit tricky. Otherwise, Xiaoyu wouldn't Show such an attitude.

This attitude was obviously to gain his own sympathy and pave the way for what would happen next. Ning Fan was already a little worried.

"Your Majesty, my natal family has a younger brother who has been incompetent since he was a child..."

Xiaoyu said while crying.

Ning Fan only listened to half of Xiaoyu's words before he felt his scalp numb and his chest felt heavy. He knew that this must be a big deal, and sure enough, he listened to Xiaoyu continue to speak.

"This younger brother of the Nu family is indeed incompetent. Recently, he got jealous and beat someone to death. The government wants to sentence him to death and behead him after autumn, but there is only such a younger brother in the Nu family..."

While Xiaoyu was crying, she raised her eyes and glanced at Ning Fan, but when she saw that Ning Fan's expression didn't change, she started crying again.

Ning Fan put the wine glass down again. He suddenly felt that the meal was not enjoyable. It turned out that he had fallen into a trap from the beginning.

Xiaoyu behaved normally at first, but she was actually waiting for him to fall into the trap. However, Ning Fan was not angry. People cannot resist family affection, and Xiaoyu was no exception. His brother committed such a sin, and as a sister, Although he knew that the law was ruthless, he still came to plead for mercy. In fact, he just had a glimmer of hope in his heart.

"Does the Queen know about this?"

Ning Fan didn't get angry, nor did he agree immediately. Instead, he asked Xiaoyu.