Linzhi

At this time, He Tai hadn't realized the consequences of the accident.

The fire burned all night, because there were many shops and houses in the West Market, all of which were made of wood, and they became a piece of wood as soon as they were burned. In addition, there were a lot of people at that time, and there was a crowd of people, and when everyone was scrambling to escape, a stampede occurred, resulting in casualties in the second half of the night. countless.

The Jingzhao Mansion and the imperial army rushed over one after another, but everyone was carrying wooden buckets and pouring water, which was a drop in the bucket. The fire was not gradually brought under control until noon the next day. That was because there was nothing left to burn. Turned into charred wood.

Originally the most prosperous West Market in the capital, it has become a place of mourning.

Jingzhao Mansion was in dire straits, and Dali Temple cooperated with the Criminal Department to investigate the source of the fire. Finally, it was found that someone accidentally dropped the flame on the firewood pile behind the house while lighting the lamp. control.

Autumn is dry and things are dry, which is a season that is prone to fire. Such a big accident naturally alarmed the emperor, Long Yan was furious, Jing Zhaoyin was dismissed immediately, and the aftermath was shared by several yamen.

The biggest headache is of course the Ministry of Households, because no matter whether it is to repair the house or appease the dead or injured, money is needed. The Criminal Department in charge of King Qi has to investigate the fire together with Dali Temple, and the Ministry of Industry in charge of He Tai is responsible for the details. Started the renovation of houses in the capital.

The Ministry of Industry itself had no money, so He Tai had to go to the Ministry of Households to allocate funds. The treasury in the hands of the Minister of the Ministry of Households was supposed to be divided into several parts, and now there was a sudden extra expense, so naturally he refused. Giving it easily, complaining about hardship and poverty, He Tai could only quarrel with others, and finally made a fuss in front of the emperor, only to get some.

But it wasn't this matter that caused He Tai the most headache.

The fire also burned down a moon-watching building next to the West Market.

The Wangyue Building is five stories high, and four floors have been built so far, and the roof has not yet been finalized. It is considered a high-rise building in Chang'an City.Under the moon in Chang'an, when you climb up and look far away, you can overlook the pagodas in the city and the lights of thousands of houses, but it is not accessible to everyone, because its owner is Princess Lin'an, He Tai's half-sister. The person who presented the Longquan sword at the birthday banquet.

Once, the emperor went to Princess Lin'an's mansion in smock, saw the Chang'an Pagoda from a distance, and praised it casually. Princess Lin'an also wanted to build a tower, and invited the emperor to climb the tower to enjoy the moon as a birthday gift next year.Tall buildings are not allowed near the imperial palace, so Princess Lin'an built the building next to the West Market, just in time to see the most lively scene of "Dragon Wandering with Lanterns" in the capital during the Shangyuan Lantern Festival. They were also implicated, and burned until only one layer of skeleton remained.

Princess Lin'an was heartbroken, so she approached He Tai, hoping that the Ministry of Industry would help rebuild the Moon Tower when rebuilding the houses in Xishi. It would be best to give priority to building the Moon Tower.

He Tai was in a dilemma.

The Moon Tower was destroyed once, and the rebuilding required a huge sum of money. Princess Lin'an was reluctant to spend her own money, so she wanted He Tai to pay the money from the Ministry of Industry. Anyway, it was built for His Majesty, so it was considered filial piety, but the Ministry of Industry The appropriation received from the Ministry of Housing is really not much, and the houses used to build the West Market are already stretched. If it is spent on the Mochizuki Tower, then he will have no money left.

Princess Lin'an has an outgoing personality, not a fuel-efficient lamp, and she is not favored in the first place. If she offends her favored sister again, the other party will always give him eye drops behind her back.

He Tai hesitated, and went home to find the eldest son and second son to discuss.

He Mu said angrily, "She wants to please His Majesty, and it's her business to burn it. How can I get my father to get money from the Ministry of Industry!"

He Tai sighed: "That being said, your Majesty now has a daughter like Lin'an, and my heart for Jia Niang is the same as your Majesty's heart for Lin'an. If I use this to bother His Majesty, he will definitely feel I am incompetent, but if I do not agree to Lin'an, I am afraid that she will sue me before His Majesty."

He Xiu has details in his roughness: "If you file a complaint, you can file a complaint. Is it possible that she can turn black and white? My father is the eldest son of the emperor, and he should be the head of all the princes. Lin'an dared to come to you to say this, so it is clear that you are not In my eyes, as long as she still has a little awe of you, she won't say this!"

He Mu: "Erlang, don't say such angry words, everyone understands the truth, she rejected Princess Lin'an this time, of course she can't say anything, but next time if something happens to my father, she will trip her up in the back? You must know that she is Prince Qi's biological sister, not father's half-sister."

The eldest son talked about his heart, and He Tai nodded: "As a father, I also have such worries, so I have to think twice."

At such a time, he couldn't help thinking that if Sanlang was around, he must have some way to reject Lin'an without offending others, the best of both worlds.

Just thinking about this, He Xiu said: "Father forgot what Sanlang said before leaving. Your Majesty can't rub the sand in his eyes. Why don't you act decisively and enforce the law impartially!"

He Tai was in a dilemma: "That means we will tear ourselves apart with Lin'an."

He Mu also said: "Think about it again, maybe there is no way to get the best of both worlds."

He Xiu sighed, and hated his father and elder brother for being procrastinating: "If you don't stop, you will be troubled by it. Father should make a decision earlier. Your Majesty's trust in you by handing over the Ministry of Industry to father. Don't shoot yourself in the foot with a rock."

He Tai tossed and turned for a long time, and finally made up his mind. Princess Lin'an came to ask again the next day, and he said that the Ministry of Households did not have enough funds, and all the money could only be used to rebuild the houses for the people, and there was no more money left to build the Wangyue Tower. .

Princess Lin'an naturally didn't want to say anything more, but after a few days, the emperor approached He Tai and asked him about the rebuilding of the house after the disaster.

He Tai did enough homework this time, where and how much the money was spent, and everything was clearly listed one by one, and presented to the emperor.

After reading it, the emperor closed the memorial, and suddenly asked: "A few days ago, did Lin'an come to you, and wanted to ask you to help repair the Wangyue Tower?"

He Tai: "Yes, my sister did mention this."

Emperor: "I heard that you rejected her because you didn't have enough money? From what I can see, don't you have a lot of money left?"

He Tai couldn't figure out the emperor's joy and anger, so he could only bite the bullet and said: "At the beginning, I spent a lot of thought in order to win the money from the Ministry of Households. Although there are still a lot left, the houses have not been fully completed. At that time, the street will be rebuilt, trees and grass will be rebuilt, and these will be a lot of expenses. I will bear in mind His Majesty's teachings, and put the people first in everything. Lin'an's kindness is commendable. I told her that I am willing to pay for it myself, and I will also pay for it However, this money must never be taken from the Ministry of Industry, please learn from your majesty."

After saying this, he anxiously waited for the emperor to attack.

Unexpectedly, after a while, the emperor actually came to help him with his own hands: "Get up."

He Tai panicked: "Your Majesty..."

The emperor sighed, and patted him on the shoulder: "If you think this way, it means that you have grown up. I thought you would not be able to withstand the pressure of Lin'an, but if you do that, you will disappoint me too much."

He Tai's eyes turned red.

The emperor: "Choose the good and be stubborn. Now that you know it is righteousness, you don't need to be easily shaken. You are the eldest son of the emperor. The elder brothers of the princes and daughters, you must show the courage of an elder brother! Lin'an is certainly filial, but she is doing it for my birthday. It's her own filial piety, it shouldn't be confused with official business, I've already reprimanded her, from now on you can do whatever you want, just straighten your back, no one dares to make irresponsible remarks!"

He Tai sniffed, only to feel that most of the grievances of the past ten years turned into warm currents with this sentence: "Yes, I remember it!"

……

He Rong and the others didn't know what happened in the capital. After several months of trekking, the group finally came to Ganzhou, which is located at the border.

Zhangye, the capital of Ganzhou, is a big border city. Going north or west outside the city is the sphere of influence of the Turkic people, but it is also the only way to do business in the Western Regions. When the imperial court fights with the Turkic people, there are always merchants who take risks. From here to the countries of the Western Regions, not to mention the armistice period, big cities come and go, noisy and lively, although not as prosperous as Chang'an and Luoyang, it has a special atmosphere outside the Great Wall.

The movement of more than 100 people entering the city was not small. He Rong asked the guards to contact the garrison generals and stayed in the official post. Liang Yu, the governor of Ganzhou, came to pay a visit in person.

Two years ago when the Turks invaded the border, the imperial court set up the post of Ganzhou General Manager, and asked Chen Wei to hoard troops here, and share the military affairs of Ganzhou with Liang Yu. Later, the Turks withdrew their troops. After spending too much money, they withdrew their troops one after another. The remaining [-] to [-] troops in Ganzhou City were handed over to Liang Yu.

At that time, Turks and Xiaoyu went south in three ways, and Ganzhou City was the only city that had not been breached. After the war, the people may feel more secure, and those who went to the south to seek refuge brought their families back one after another, and the population of Ganzhou did not decrease. Anti-increasing, even more prosperous than before the war.

Liang Yu was very considerate. He waited for He Rong and the others to wash up in the posthouse, change their clothes, eat something to fill their stomachs, and then came to the door according to the time.

Although He Rong has a good tongue, he actually doesn't like talking nonsense in circles. Liang Yu's behavior style is exactly what he likes. After the two sides met and greeted each other, Liang Yu asked: "If there is someone Liang who can help Yes, He Shaoqing just say it straight."

In terms of official rank, Liang Yu is higher than He Rong, but He Rong is the emperor's grandson, and the two are equal, which saves a lot of embarrassment. , I want to stay for a few days first, inquire more about the situation in the Western Turks, and then make plans, I don’t know if Mr. Liang is staying at the border for a long time, have you received any news?”

Liang Yu: "The interior of Western Turks has been somewhat uneasy recently."

He Rong's eyelids twitched: "Why is it so unfair?"

Liang Yu: "I heard from the caravan who just came over there that it seems to be related to the old Khan, but the specifics are not clear. They passed through Yanqi City and did not go to the royal court of the Western Turks, so they only heard a few words. The caravan is still in the city, if Saburo is interested, he can ask them for details."

After Liang Yu left, He Rong asked He Zhan to inquire, and when he learned that those caravans were now settled in the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce, he personally brought Xue Tan and He Zhan to visit.

Although there were carriages along the way, in order to speed up the journey, He Rong mostly rode horses like them. The soldiers of the imperial army practiced every day. Riding horses and archery is like drinking water and eating, but literati are different after all. They complained endlessly, but in the end the carriage was given to them, and He Rong still rode the horse all the way without saying a word of bitterness.

Those indomitable Beiya students had already been subdued by He Rong [-]% to [-]%. Seeing his determination, they were completely convinced, and there was no other word for orders and prohibitions.

Although He Zhan knew his third brother's intentions, he felt sorry for his exhausted journey, so he said, "Businessmen are humble, why should the third brother go there in person, it's enough for me to go, or else they will be summoned."

He Rong: "Scholars, farmers, businessmen, and the pillars of the country. Guanzi's words are not based on the distinction between superiority and inferiority. It is just a falsehood spread by later generations. Don't say this in front of Yang Jun."

He Zhan: "I'm not afraid that you will be tired!"

He Rong patted He Zhan's arm: "Go out and walk more, but you will be more energetic."

He walked out first, Xue Tan winked at He Zhan, pointed at He Rong, and mouthed: Did he eat the deer whip?Still alive and kicking after a day of horse riding?

He Zhan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and made a mouth shape to signal him to shut up.

He Rong seemed to have eyes behind his back: "Xue Yushen, don't you want to drink tonight?"

Xue Tan immediately put on a dog-legged face, and said with a flattering smile: "If you have any orders, just say, I will accompany you to the ends of the earth!"

shameless!He Zhan pouted and followed behind them.

The three of them went to the street and headed towards the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce according to the guidance of the station official.

He Zhan looked at the people in the caravan, and couldn't help but sigh: "If there is no threat from the Turks one day, this place will be more prosperous, right?"

Xue Tan: "If the commercial routes in the Western Regions are re-opened, it will definitely bring huge benefits to the imperial court. Unfortunately, the Turks will not decline for a day, so it is too early to talk about this."

While they were talking, there was some movement behind them. When the three of them turned their heads, they saw a woman pushing aside the crowd and staggering forward.

He Zhan subconsciously pulled He Rong aside, Xue Tan was a little slow to react, and was hit by the woman directly, and both of them fell to the ground.

Xue Tan supported his waist and grinned: "Hey, let me tell you, do you ever walk like this?"

The woman didn't say a word, she got up and wanted to run again, but she just fell and sprained her foot, and fell to the ground after walking a few steps.

Immediately after, a few more people caught up. The leader was a middle-aged woman with a stick in her hand and a fierce expression on her face. She led several men, pointed at the woman who fell on the ground, and said, "Catch him!"

Xue Tan was shocked by the toughness of the frontier people, before he could understand what was going on, the woman saw that she couldn't run away, so she grabbed his arm and blocked him in front of her.

That group of people didn't care about 21, they just picked up their sticks and greeted Xue Tan.

Xue Tan yelled, "He Wulang, are you going to die!"

It was too late, it was soon, He Zhan kicked up, and the stick that was about to fall on Xue Tan's face flew out of his hand. When the other party was stunned, he also fell backwards, directly crushing the companions behind him. body.

He Zhan was agile, he hit people on the ground three times and two times, he didn't hit women at first, but seeing that the middle-aged woman's face was too fierce, he added two more punches.

Xue Tan is a sophisticated person. Seeing this situation, he immediately wondered if the procuress of the brothel had come out to arrest people, but the middle-aged woman's first words made him overturn his judgment.

"That bitch is my child bride-in-law, it's my family's business to beat or scold her, how dare you stand up for her?!"

The middle-aged woman's eyes and cheeks were punched by He Zhan respectively, and her eyes and cheeks were so swollen that she spoke harsh words vaguely, without any deterrent effect.

He Zhan grinned grimly, and slapped his fists loudly: "Discipline your daughter-in-law, disciplined to my friend? Do you want me to teach you a lesson again?"

There is Song Yun who is always on the move all day by his side, and He Zhan plays this bullying role with ease and lifelikeness.

The middle-aged woman was a little apprehensive, not to be outdone, and glared fiercely at the woman hiding behind Xue Tan: "You little slave, come out for me, I won't be finished if I don't interrupt your dog legs today!"

Xue Tan's sleeve was pulled tighter and tighter by the young woman, he couldn't laugh or cry: "Little lady, it's useless if you hold on to me!"

The young woman quickly said: "I beg your benefactor to save me, I would like to promise you with my body!"

Seeing her bruised nose and swollen face, Xue Tan immediately sprayed: "Are you thanking me? I think it's revenge!"

The woman pursed her lips tightly, and looked at him without saying a word, but her eyes were very beautiful, full of water, as if they had not yet fallen.

Xue Tan's heart softened for a moment, and he looked at He Rong: "Sanlang?"

He Zhan was about to laugh at Xue Tan's soft bones, when he heard the third elder brother say beside him: "Leave this woman and send the others away."

When the third brother spoke, He Zhan no longer hesitated, and immediately turned to those faces with "Song Yun style": "What's the matter, we don't want to let people go, and you still want to grab them? Just a few of you?"

The middle-aged woman said angrily: "The lowly slave is my Zhang family, you are robbing a civilian girl, I will sue the government!"

He Zhan sneered: "Just go, or I will break your legs and let you crawl over?"

He made a gesture and stepped forward, those people immediately scattered and fled in all directions, leaving the middle-aged woman alone, stunned.

The other party's eyes were resentful, and his expression was stern: "Leave your name and address if you have the ability, so that I will come to reward you in the future!"

The word "reward" was said with gritted teeth, and I hated it deeply.

He Zhan sneered: "If you can't even find out where we live, what are you talking about seeking revenge?"

Knowing that the enemy is strong and we are weak, the other party did not dare to make any further entanglements, so he gave the woman behind Xue Tan a hard look, and staggered away.

He Rong asked, "What's your last name?"

The woman barely supported her body, and bowed to him: "Thank you gentlemen for saving me, my concubine's surname is Gao."

She could clearly see that He Rong was the head of the three.

He Rong sized her up for a while, then said to Xue Tan: "Yushen, take Lady Gao back to the post house and ask Gu Yu to show her. I'll talk about other things when I go back."

Gu Yu is a disciple of the imperial medical office. This time when He Rong and the others were traveling, the emperor asked He Rong to choose him at the imperial medical office. He Rong saw that many excellent imperial doctors were old, so he picked Gu Yu, the first disciple of the imperial medical order. , It was quite difficult, but the other party did not complain, and took good care of the people in the team.

Xue Tan snorted and pointed to himself: "Me? Aren't we going to the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce?"

He Rong: "You are the one who wants to save her. Save her to the end. You can take care of it yourself."

Xue Tan's face fell.

When He Rong left, He Zhan turned his head from behind, smiled silently at Xue Tan, and mouthed: It deserves it.

Xue Tan: "..."