Come on, Your Highness

This is an inconspicuous note, and it was not written by Xiao Hong himself, but from Shangzou, the magistrate of Kuiliang County, Jiangzhou.

The former magistrate of Kuiliang County corrupted the law and lost his head three years ago.

There is nothing special written in this booklet, just like other county magistrates, large and small, to report the spring plowing situation of the people in the county under their jurisdiction.

It's all routine, usually after entering the cabinet, it's good for the cabinet ministers to have a look at it, it won't be presented to the imperial court, and I don't know where Xiao Hong found it.

But since it was handed over on purpose, Emperor Tiangan took a closer look at it for his sake.

Xiao Hong observed his father, seeing him frowning suddenly, he knew that the emperor had realized it.

Emperor Tiangan put the zhezi on the case and sighed: "This year, Kuiliang County should suffer again."

"Well, last winter was not too cold, and this year the river channel was unblocked early. But it started to rain one after another, and the water level was already higher than at the same time last year. My son is worried that the Songjiang River in Kuiliang County will burst again this year. .” Xiao Hong said.

Natural disasters and man-made disasters, floods in the south and drought in the north, these are the annoying things that the emperor would worry about every year during his reign.

Every time it comes, the fields will fail, and the flood will wash away the houses, causing casualties and people fleeing.

Disaster relief is inevitable.

Emperor Tiangan nodded and said: "Zhenhui will order the household department to make preparations in advance, and in case of floods, we will allocate funds to raise food for disaster relief."

"Flooding every year, every year, when will it end, father, the sum of the relief money over the years is an incomparably huge number."

"I know, but there is no good way for the time being." Emperor Tiangan asked, "By the way, why did you suddenly pay attention to this?"

"I have been paying attention to it all the time. Do you still remember the time when my son begged you for Xichao's qualification for the provincial examination three years ago?"

Emperor Tiangan nodded.

Xiao Hong said: "When I first entered the court, I came to ask you for advice with the Jiangdong governor's impeachment of Luozi county magistrate Yurou people. Later, I found out that the embankment in Kuiliang county was washed away, and refugees flooded into Luozi county. It caused people to be displaced. Although it is true that the Kuiliang county magistrate was corrupt and perverted the law, you could do nothing about the Songjiang embankment breaking. My son remembers it very clearly. You said that it was not that the dams were not built properly, but that the river was narrow and the current was fast, so it was difficult to repair it. .”

Emperor Tiangan slowly recalled that there was indeed such a thing.

At that time, he was very relieved that Xiao Hong was aware of this problem, so it could be seen that he was not following the crowd and standing in the court, but was thinking seriously.

As for the trick of begging He Xichao after coaxing him to be happy, he didn't think it was inappropriate at all, so he readily agreed.

"After my son entered the Ministry of Industry, he learned to be a director from the minister of the Ministry of Industry, learned to read blueprints from the clerk, and read more civil engineering from the craftsman. Although he still only knew superficially, at least he was no longer blind. The year before last The dam was washed away again, and I was thinking, is it really the only way to destroy and repair like this, repair and destroy, and go round and round again, hoping that when God is milder and there is no flood, the people in Kuiliang County and even nearby can live in peace for a year The days of not wandering?"

Emperor Tiangan was slightly stunned, sometimes it was easy to say it would be for the country and the people, but very few people actually put it into practice.

"Hong'er, do you have any ideas?"

Xiao Hong lifted his robe and stood up, bowed his hands and said: "Father, my son wants to go to Jiangdong in person."

Xie Mansion

Sitting in front of Mr. Xie Ge, He Xichao respectfully presented the paper that was two days late, and said apologetically, "I was outside the city yesterday, so I was delayed and didn't have time to go back to the city. Teacher Rong has waited too long, and the student is ashamed."

He Xichao was fifteen this year, and he was placed in an ordinary person's home. This kind of young man who was going to take the imperial examination was near Chunwei, and he must be studying and consolidating at the center of his home. No one would dare to distract him with other things.

However, He Xichao is different, he is very busy, he almost handles the major and minor matters of the Prince of England's residence, and now he has someone on hand, and is on the right track, but there are other things.

"I heard from Xiu Ning that you are planting a cotton crop?"

Mr. Xie Ge took the paper, but he was not in a hurry to check it. After the court today, he asked for leave and went home, put off everything, and took time to meet He Xichao.

As for Chun Wei, Xie Ge was not as worried as He Xichao himself.

He Xichao is smart and knowledgeable far beyond ordinary people. Although he is full of chores, he is extremely self-disciplined, and he does not fail in reading and writing. Xie Ge's homework is almost always finished with quality and quantity. There is really nothing to worry about .

It is less than a month before the exam, and I still do the papers now, just to maintain the state of this scientific examination, so that the unfamiliarity at hand will not affect my performance.

In fact, Mr. Xie Ge felt sorry for this student. Those who are capable always work harder, and He Xichao is exceptionally outstanding. Xiao Hong can hardly do anything without him. It is hard for him to develop a temperament that is neither arrogant nor rash, and arranges things in an orderly manner. , not flustered.

For this ability, Mr. Xie Ge believed that even if He Xichao became an official immediately, he would be qualified for many official positions, even better than ordinary ministers.

He Xichao smiled and nodded: "Yes, the students have seen an anecdote that someone stuffed cotton into clothing and bedding to make cotton-padded quilts to keep out the cold. Although cotton is scarce in Beijing, some people brought it here to see the rarity. The students collected some , I tried to make a pair of earmuffs, it was very warm, so I came up with this idea. It happened that Xiu Ning was in the Western Regions, so I asked him to find it."

Xie Ge said: "If this is the case, it will be a great thing. The winter is bitter and cold, and the fur is difficult and scarce. It is really not easy for the people to survive the winter. If this cotton can really keep out the cold, I will ask the emperor to support it." , he looked at He Xichao appreciatively, "You have a heart."

He Xichao smiled humbly, "The teacher will praise it when it grows out. Now that the seedlings have just grown, I am also concerned about whether they can become students."

The kettle on the stove made a booming sound, and after a while it weakened, and then the body of the kettle began to tremble and steam was gurgling.

He Xichao picked up the tea leaves and poured them into the purple sand pot, he didn't make too many fancy movements, he just picked up the kettle and poured water, after a few breaths, he poured the tea and handed it to Xie Ge's hands.

"Just after dinner, the students borrowed flowers and presented Buddha to invite the teacher to have a cup of tea to relieve the boredom."

He Xichao's ability to make tea is mediocre, he just learned a little bit, but Mr. Xie Ge didn't have any demands on him.

After in-depth understanding, one knows that this apprentice is not some elegant and famous person, and he can't understand everything in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. Xie Ge was really shocked when he received the matchstick-like painting.

Don't look at He Xichao's reputation for talent, which has been praised by the emperor, but he never goes to any poetry fairs, flower fairs, and he will never go to any place where talented people gather.

So far, except for his articles that have been circulated, there are no poems or songs.

So far, Xiao Hong's words are plain and straightforward, without any literary talent, and his ignorance often makes Emperor Tianqian dislike him. In fact, there is a big reason for He Xichao.

Let the two of them recite poems and compose fu, it is better to go to the field to study how to grow rice.

To some extent, Xiao Hong and He Xichao can be said to be a perfect match.

However, these shortcomings can't affect Mr. Xie Ge's appreciation of his young apprentices. People have to go through the baptism of age and experience to really calm down and do practical things.

However, He Xichao directly skipped this stage. It is really rare to influence the First Prince by setting an example.

Looking at the quiet and peaceful face of the little apprentice through the dense mist, Xie Ge couldn't help but put down his cup and asked, "What's your plan next?"

He Xichao paused slightly, raised his head to look at Mr. Xie Ge, and asked with a smile, "Why did the teacher say that?"

"Why play sloppy eyes with this old man? His Royal Highness has been keeping a low profile for so many years. When the Emperor returned from Qinglian Temple, he no longer concealed his respect and love for him. This is a good thing, but it is also a bad thing. For you, the harm outweighs the benefit Bar?"

Xie Ge's wife has been with you for many years, and she sees some things more clearly than others.

In fact, from the beginning of the title, the minister with a keen sense of smell has already noticed the emperor's attitude.

However, Emperor Tiangan never praised Xiao Hong in front of others before, and he was more scolded and headache, as well as the guilt for abolishing the crown prince, so he was more tolerant of him.

In comparison, the third prince, who is often praised by the emperor for his filial piety, has excellent homework, and has a concubine mother, actually attracts more attention.

The emperor gave the courtiers a wrong hint, so these years Xiao Hong faded out of the crowd, and whenever he did something out of the ordinary, the first impression would be: Oh, what absurd thing did this prince do again?

Smile and pass, and the leaves don't pay attention.

But now, almost all eyes are on the eldest son of the emperor.

The two princes were enshrined one after another, one Shun and the other Li, although they both have beautiful meanings, but compared to Xiao Hong's heroism, Zhao Ranruo is expected.

Now Xiao Hong's words and deeds are being explored and mined, his strengths and weaknesses are infinitely magnified, those who support him and those who do not support him can find evidence in him, and even a small matter can become a reason for impeachment or commendation.

Being completely exposed to the sun like this was within He Xichao's expectation, but he still had some headaches when it really arrived. He nodded and said affirmatively, "Yes, I didn't think it through before, but now I'm a little passive."

Mr. Xie Ge took out a folder, "Look at it."

He Xichao unfolded it, read it quickly, narrowed his eyes immediately, and said with a sneer: "This person is either an idiot, or he was instructed by others."

"No matter who is behind him, with this beginning, the next court will be lively."

He Xichao pursed his lips, with a chill in his eyes, "Your Majesty is so prosperous, it is not only premature, but also redundant. To put it bluntly, His Royal Highness, even if he doesn't go any further, in his capacity, he still It is No.1 in the ranking. Therefore, all the proposers have ulterior motives, intending to sow discord and remind the emperor to beware of the eldest prince."

Xie Ge finished his cup of tea and said: "That's it, what can you do?"

He Xichao put away the booklet and handed it back to Mr. Xie Ge. During this process, the coldness in his eyes gradually disappeared, leaving nothing but calmness. He refilled the cup for Mr. Xie Ge, with the corners of his lips raised. Wan asked with a hint of meaning: "The teacher reminded me specially, and brought the notebook again. Is this... helping us?"

"Closed disciples, I can't help but take care of them a little bit more. His Royal Highness the King of England is quite lenient in his actions and can be expected."

But that's all Mr. Xie Ge can do. No matter how much he can do, he won't help, let alone suppress the matter. After today, tomorrow he will present it to Emperor Tiangan.

He Xichao smiled, "That's enough, thank you teacher."

He also poured himself a cup, sipping tea in small sips, without any anxiety.

Old Xie Ge couldn't help being curious, he asked again: "Xi Chao, how are you doing?"

"Can't be provoked, can't you hide?" He Xichao said, "It's time for Your Highness to go out and see the world."

Regardless of whether the crown prince is established or not, Xiao Hong is not in Beijing anyway, so it doesn't matter if they quarrel casually.

And at this moment, at the dining table in the Qingzheng Hall

Emperor Tiangan put down his chopsticks when Xiao Hong had eaten two bowls of rice and slowed down.

As soon as he let it go, Xiao Hong stopped chopsticks.

Eunuch Huang went to tea, and Emperor Tiangan asked, "Why do you suddenly want to go to Jiangdong and build dams?"

Xiao Hong nodded, "No matter how difficult the people below say, my son wants to see it with his own eyes. How can Dujiangyan be successful in the pre-Qin Dynasty? Why can't the flood control dam in Kuiliang County be repaired? If it can't be blocked, can it be dredged?" , drainage out?"

"Do you have a way?"

"No, my son doesn't understand water conservancy, but there are so many talented people in the world, it's impossible for everyone to understand? Isn't the Binhe Canal finished? Let those craftsmen follow me and combine it with the local area. I want to see if it can be done!" Xiao Hong With determination in his eyes, "We add grain and silver taels every year, as well as manpower. In conversion, one disaster relief costs one million taels. How many ditches can be repaired in the past ten years? There is no reason why they can't be repaired. You can do anything with the saved money." .”

How could Emperor Tiangan not know these reasons, but the construction of water conservancy was hard and difficult, and there was no suitable candidate, so he delayed it.

"I'm very happy that you have this heart, but the journey is long and difficult..."

"My son is not afraid." Xiao Hong said, "When did you see that I was afraid of pain, tiredness, and suffering? As long as this can be done, everything is worth it. And Father, I have never left Beijing, I want to go out and see look."

The fledgling only needs one flight to grow up. Maybe the wings are not hard enough, and it is still unstable to fly, but if it has been held back and refused to fly, it will never be able to fly.

Emperor Tiangan looked at Xiao Hong who was staring at him, and suddenly felt a little sore in his heart.

He endured the discomfort, pretended to laugh and scolded: "So you've been talking for a long time, but you just want to leave Beijing for fun."

Xiao Hong seemed to have been told what was on his mind, so he laughed embarrassedly. He grabbed Emperor Tiangan's arm and flattered him: "By the way, building the dam is an important matter, and I will not delay it."

Emperor Tiangan didn't speak, so Xiao Hong could only continue to beg: "You are still young and strong, so my son can go out to play with peace of mind... to do errands. The world is so big, and you are always confined in the capital, with limited vision. People say that the people are suffering. , but the people in the capital are relatively rich, I don’t know how much the real suffering can be. How different is the prosperous place in the south of the Yangtze River from the capital. People say that it is better to travel thousands of miles than to read thousands of books. The imperial court, but often the polished pen and ink are always far from the truth, I want to see the most authentic Daqi, and listen to the most simple voices of the people, father, can you?"

OK?

Can he disagree?

However, Emperor Tiangan did not agree. He was a father, worried and reluctant.

The author has something to say: Yao: Have you watched the military parade? Sure enough, the men in military uniforms look very handsome and have great figures!

He Xichao: agree

Xiao Hong: My figure is also great, Xi Chao, touch it!