An Lingrong's Rebirth: The Lock of Qingqiu

An Lingrong's eyelids were so heavy that she couldn't lift them up. There were subtle but familiar footsteps in her ears. She suddenly woke up from her half-dream. She asked, "Qin Sanyue, is there any new news?"

Qin Sanyue walked quickly to the bed, nodded, took out a roll of paper from his arms with a solemn expression, and whispered: "My lord, the government has started arresting people in various places recently. This is the list I just received. , take a look, there are people you mentioned.”

An Lingrong took the list, glanced at it one by one, and suddenly stopped at a certain place. The person's name was "Zhang Xiqiu" and wondered: "This Zhang Xiqiu was arrested, and there were twenty-three of his accomplices. He How come there are so many comrades?”

Qin Sanyue explained in a low voice: "My lord, I heard that this Zhang Xiqiu is a down-and-out talented man and also a lunatic. He was drunk in an inn recently and made trouble. He also lied on his back in front of everyone and made a big fuss. The satirical poem scolded the Qing Dynasty, the emperor, and the court officials, but he was reported, so the government ordered his arrest. In order to alert the public, the government even wrote big-character posters and posted them on city walls everywhere. "

An Lingrong was silent for a moment after hearing this. She understood in her heart that although this Zhang Xiqiu was a madman, his talent was undeniable. He failed in many scientific examinations because he was too upright and the court was divided into factions. He remained neutral and impartial. Anyone who wanted to help him openly or secretly supported him or gave him or his family gifts. , it was a pity that they were all turned away by him.

Naturally, Qin Sanyue didn't understand the reason for this. An Lingrong sighed: "This Zhang Xiqiu must be a talented person, but he just didn't encounter a good opportunity. Talented people are often the most likely to cause trouble."

A trivial matter, with Qin Xiaofeng's help, gradually started to set off a prairie fire.

Zhang Xiqiu was just an unlucky talent whom he ordered to find, and he was jealous of the court, the country and the people's livelihood, and was just complaining with empty ambitions.

In this dynasty where officials still have freedom of speech, some people became prisoners because of their well-spoken words, and for a while became the talk of the common people after dinner.

But the common people don’t know that the officials of this dynasty can only discuss the matter and cannot slander or slander. There are no restrictions. Once the speech touches the sensitive topics of the court, it will also cause trouble. Similar things have happened before, and the officials have been offended. Your Majesty, although the Emperor cannot remove them, he can transfer them from their original posts and torture them in every possible way.

Zhang Xiqiu's incident was originally a trivial matter that could be ignored, but under Qin Xiaofeng's control, it gradually fermented and had an increasing impact.

Zhang Xiqiu, a passionate young man with empty ambitions, was pushed to the forefront because of a few words of dissatisfaction with the people's livelihood, the court and the dynasty.

And he also turned from an unknown and talented young man to the center of attention. The government posted notices everywhere and painted his portrait on the wall, so that the people in the city and even the country could take a warning.

Soon, people began to care and sympathize with Zhang Xiqiu, and some people began to stand up to defend him.

All of this is under An Lingrong's control. She not only wants to make Zhang Xiqiu the center of attention, but also wants to use this incident to arouse people's dissatisfaction and resistance to the court.

Zhang Xiqiu's voice represents the voice of the people. The world is inherently unfair. The strong support each other and the weak are bullied.

As the incident unfolded, more and more people in Zhao Lai stood up. They began to hold banners with red silk and black characters on a red background. Like Zhang Xiqiu, they began to question the court's decision-making, criticize the current situation of the dynasty, and express their concern for the people's livelihood. The current situation is difficult and so on, and with slogans, they gathered in the streets and began to march.

An Lingrong didn't know how deep Concubine Duan's influence in the world was, but the information revealed by Ju Qin Xiaofeng showed that people were constantly cooperating with him, and people were informing him of the current situation in various places every day.

Qin Xiaofeng used this power to secretly organize more people, and with the help of this flame, while controlling the chaos, he pushed Zhang Xiqiu's incident to a climax. Zhang Xiqiu was imprisoned for a total of thirteen days, but Qin Xiaofeng not only refused to let go People are still adding people to the prison.

With the help of Qin Xiaofeng and Duan Fei, Zhang Xiqiu's remarks were spread. They used exaggerated words, misinterpreted the original meaning, distorted the facts, and even added some falsehoods. Taking advantage of people's dissatisfaction with the court, Zhang Xiqiu became a symbol representing public opinion. , the remarks that originally belonged to Zhang Xiqiu alone, privately revealed a few words of dissatisfaction with the world, gradually turned into continuous anger in the hearts of the people.

News from various places were continuously conveyed to the palace in the form of memorials. The emperor finally faced this matter seriously. He appointed officials to wear civilian clothes and sneak into the people to understand the public opinion.

An Lingrong sent lotus seed heart-nourishing soup to the emperor who was working at his desk until dawn. The emperor talked about the national conditions while drinking the soup.

"Recently, something very troubling has happened in various parts of the country. It has caused me a lot of headaches. Lipin, please come and help me press this part of my head and neck," the emperor ordered.

An Lingrong turned behind the emperor and consoled him: "Your Majesty, national affairs are tense. You have to work hard for the country and the people, so you still have to pay attention to your health. Don't get exhausted."

The emperor frowned and said: "Now the domestic situation is worrying both internally and externally. Memorials from all over the country are flowing to me. Someone actually complained to me about the concubines in the harem. Among them was Li Pin. They said that I gave Li Pin to me. The word "Li" is not used well, it is really ridiculous."

An Lingrong softly said "Oh", with a light expression on his face, and without stopping his hand movements, he smiled slightly and said: "Your Majesty, since they don't like the word concubine given by the emperor, how can I like it no matter how much I do?" If the word "Li" brings trouble to the emperor, then the concubine will not want the word "Li". As far as the concubine is concerned, she is still the emperor's concubine with or without the word "Li". Subtracting a title will not make her any less concubine at all. Love for the Emperor.”

The emperor turned his anger into joy and said: "I am the emperor, how can I let them do whatever they want and dare to find fault with the words I have given them? I will try my best to give them a little pain. But outside the palace, the people are making trouble and complaining. I have no choice but to arrest a few people to deal with them, so as not to take me seriously."

An Lingrong seemed to be careless, but in fact he was concerned and asked: "Your Majesty, the treasury is empty, there is a war outside, food and grass are burned, the front line needs a lot of money as military pay, and the people are making trouble, we must calm down the people's complaints as soon as possible, why not Your Majesty Look, pick a few wealthy people among the troublemakers, give them heavy fines, and have their homes confiscated. This will serve as a warning. Secondly, the confiscated property can be used as military pay, which will relieve the emperor's urgent need. ”

The emperor turned his head, with a hint of affection in his eyes, and sighed: "Li Bin, you are stepping into my heart step by step. My military pay has been paid, my military expenses have been raised enough, and Zhen Yuandao should also be released from prison. Let him go and do his business."