Through the palace of the king of subjugation

That day, Bai Gu rode out of the city, deliberately took a long way to avoid the guard camp and Chen Yan and his party who were greeted outside the city.

Modern people are used to navigating with a sweet female voice, telling you whether to turn left or right at any time. The skill of reading maps has almost degenerated, especially when he is holding an ancient map that is not very precise. booklet.

Bai Gu attributed all the reasons for his slow progress to this in his heart.

He was unwilling to admit that his slow journey was a bit exaggerated.

He took official roads all the way, one big city followed by another big town, except for the section just out of the city, the straight and flat official road with few intersects did not give him any chance of getting lost.

Jiangning was considered to be near the south of the Yangtze River, and Lin'an was not too far away. Even with a large team of chariots and horses, Chen Yu only had to walk for more than ten days. He walked abruptly for nearly two months.

The last time he ran away, the action of the little emperor to catch him back was lightning fast, and it took less than a day; but this time he walked so slowly, why is there still no movement?

However, after entering and exiting the city gate several times, he finally discovered the power of the sign in his hand; not to mention the freedom to come and go, even the officials of one party would greet him in person.

Ordinary county magistrates and Sima are fine, but along the way, he did not expect that even a fourth-rank official like Xiazhou governor would have to sell face.

At least they opened the way to greet each other, and some exaggerated even set up a banquet for him in the city and booked an inn. I really wish I could accompany him to appreciate the great rivers and mountains of the motherland all the way...

At first, Bai Ou only thought that everyone valued his status as a imperial guard, after all, he could be regarded as a person who could talk to the emperor; but the more people he met and the higher his rank, the more he felt that something was wrong.

Ordinary people don't know it, but few officials of the rank of governor are from poor families, and most of them come from noble families.

How could those people not know that it is useless to please the little emperor, let alone just please an idler around the emperor.

No one in the aristocratic family knew that the real power in the court was Zhou Zheling.

But these issues are not what Bai Gu needs to think about now, since someone is willing to join in, he accepts them all—

The restaurant chooses the most expensive one, and the inn chooses the most luxurious one, as if he is afraid that he is not high-profile enough, so he doesn't have to go all over the street to shout with gongs and drums.

However, there is still no reaction in Jiangning City.

Li Yu didn't seem to know that he had slipped away.

Fortunately, he has been used to being free and easy in the past twenty years, and he doesn't feel how lost he is.

Even if occasionally he would still think of the young boy who threw himself into his arms and cried aggrievedly, he would not admit that he would feel sad occasionally.

People who have tasted longing for the first time don't know what longing is.

For this word, he has no definite definition in his mind.

So arrogantly and dawdlingly, he walked the ten-day journey for nearly two months, from Lixia to Xiaoshu, before he finally arrived in Lin'an City.

This time he avoided the straight and flat official road and walked into the country path.

After all, the wasteland that he and Li Yu had "cultivated" hand in hand were very remote——

I agreed to go and see it.

Apart from the mountains and rivers and time, the scenery of the towns in the south of the Yangtze River has not changed much. The only thing that is changing is the climate.

When you enter Xiaoshu, you enter the dog days——

Today, it's terribly hot.

Bai Ou had been riding the tall maroon horse he had brought in when he left Jiangning City, but now the country roads were difficult, so he had no choice but to sell the horse for some money and walk on the road.

After walking for less than half a day, I already felt that the soles of my boots were about to be roasted.

This day is really unusual, there is no cool breeze at night, as long as the sun is out during the day, it seems to be drying off a layer of skin.

It is said that the south of the Yangtze River is humid, and the white gull has seen the wet and cold winter before, but why is this summer drier than the north he is used to?

He only had a rough map of Lin'an City at hand, and it was impossible to clearly mark every country road. He could only look for it based on the rough image of the location of the barren land that he and Li Yu had laid out every night when they turned on the lights every night. .

But they had more than one layout back then, and he was not familiar with Lin'an at all, so he could only grope his way based on his incomplete memory.

It was too hot, and I couldn't find a passerby to ask.

White Gull shook the empty sheepskin water bag, based on his previous rich experience in outdoor activities, he knew that this would not work——

The scorching sun, high temperature, and lack of water will soon be overwhelmed.

He decided to find a small river to fill some water, and then find a shady place to rest.

After such a break, when he opened his eyes again, he was already in a farmhouse.

"The lad is awake?"

In front of him was a woman dressed as a village girl, and the scene was very similar to the last escape. Bai Gu rubbed his swollen head and recalled the previous events.

Because he was not familiar with Lin'an, he could only rely on the memory of the drawings when he and Li Yu planned the irrigation canal in the palace, and followed the general direction to find the water source, but it was fruitless.

After all, he didn't have a detailed map in his hand, and his memory would inevitably be wrong. At that time, it was past noon, which was the hottest time of the day;

Finding a place to rest under the shade of a tree, he prepared to wait for the sun to set before going on the road, and then...

I don't remember.

"My man was pushing a cart to the town to deliver firewood, and I happened to see you on the way back." Seeing Bai Gu's puzzled face, the peasant woman explained, "I don't know if you are sick or heat stroke, but fortunately he is pushing the cart, just in time. I pulled it back for you."

It should be heat stroke, mainly due to lack of water and high temperature.

White Gull let out a long breath.

Fortunately, he has always been in good health, otherwise, in that era, there were quite a few people with braids due to heat stroke.

"Have you been hungry all day?" The peasant woman held an earthenware bowl in her hand, which contained half a dry steamed bun, and handed it to Bai Gu, "Eat something?"

Bai Gu looked at the nest and felt his throat was on fire, he was a little embarrassed and said: "Sister-in-law...do you have water?"

"This..." The peasant woman showed embarrassment, hesitated for a long time before saying: "Then wait, I will teach my family to make a bowl."

As she spoke, the peasant woman got up, opened the curtain and went out of the room. It took a long time before she came back with a man in a rough jacket.

The man was holding a small earthen porcelain bowl in his hand, and he and the peasant woman had to evade each other for a long time before he came forward very reluctantly, his hands were still trembling when he handed over the porcelain bowl.

Bai Gu took the porcelain bowl with both hands suspiciously, looked inside and finally understood what the couple was pushing and shoving.

The small bowl, which is not very big, only contains half a bowl of "water", not so much "water", as it is half a bowl of mud.

"No, it's not dirty..." The man had a simple face, and his tone was a little apologetic, "It was dug out of the well, let it sink on the table for a while, and the water on the surface is still drinkable."

Bai Gu remembered that he had passed out under the tree because he had walked for a long time without finding an irrigation canal or other water sources; there was not even a decent bowl of clean water in this farmhouse...

Could it be that I went in the wrong direction from the beginning, and didn't go to the canal and wasteland planned before?

But even if there is no canal to flow through, such a life is too miserable...

"Dare to ask..." He put down the bowl in embarrassment, "What's the name of this eldest brother?"

"My surname is Jiang." The down-to-earth man smiled honestly, "Everyone in our village is surnamed Jiang."

ginger……

Jiang Family Village?

Bai Guu flipped through the planning drawings and maps that he could still recall in his mind.

There must be an irrigation canal passing through Jiangjia Village.

He can be sure.

Didn't you say that Chen Yu was watching in person?

Something happened just after walking?

Is Chen Jin lying or is someone making trouble?

"Didn't the imperial court allocate money to repair canals and cultivate wasteland..." Bai Gu nervously stepped forward and grabbed the man's wrist, "Didn't you all see it?"

"See, see..."

Bai Gu's expression was too serious, the simple and honest country man had never seen such a scene, he stuttered in fright, and it was the peasant woman on the side who came out to smooth things over.

"The uncultivated land was reclaimed, [-] miles south of our Jiangjia Village; the canal was also dug, and we saw the water flow past the front of our house with our own eyes."

The peasant woman explained and sighed again.

"The land in our family has long been occupied by others, and we have always relied on my husband to send some firewood to the city to sell for some food; There is water flowing past, so a few months ago, my men were still involved in the land reclamation."

"Then now..." Bai Gu said, looking at the bowl of khaki mud.

"The last time there was a decent rain was last year..." the peasant woman wiped away her tears, "The water in the river is almost dry, how can it still flow to us..."

"In the field..." Bai Gu opened his mouth and found that his lower lip was trembling, "in the field..."

"The crops in the field are sprouting green shoots, but..." The peasant woman gradually broke down in tears, and fell into the arms of the man beside her.

"The crops in the field seem to be broken, but the water flowing through them is getting less and less." The man continued: "Without water, it's useless to lift stones to hit the sky!"

The simple and honest man has dark skin, but even so, he can see the redness of the corners of his eyes, "What a wonderful crop seedling! I can only watch them all die in the ground..."

White Gull looked at the scene in front of him, and felt the chill crawling up his vest in this hot summer.

Why doesn't he know about such a big thing?

Did Li Yu not know?

Does Chen Jin know?

Who is blindfolding whose eyes!

Unable to wait any longer, he picked up the earthenware bowl, poured the "mud water" in it indiscriminately, hurriedly said "goodbye" and rushed out of the farmhouse.

It was already dark outside, and he ran for two hours in the thirty miles; but he still didn't give up, and desperately went around a long circle to search.

But the more places he walked, the more dry and chapped land he could see, more dead seedlings, more bobbin carts that had stopped turning, and more twisted plows that had been left aside.

He even saw farmers kneeling in the field crying bitterly.

The facts are already glaringly before us——

The drought in Lin'an has become a disaster.

So what about other places in Jiangnan?

He himself has traveled all the way, and he has never encountered a serious heavy rain...

I only encountered hotter and drier weather every day.

Early the next morning, others had already arrived in front of the local government office in Lin'an.

With that sign, he rushed in without giving anyone face.

It was just dawn, and the governor of Lin'an prefect seemed to have not gotten up yet, and was still arranging the buttons on his front when he hurried to the hall to greet the guests.

"Big..." Fu Yin was busy saluting in the front hall, but his tongue tied up after seeing the white gull clearly, "Brother, my lord..."

He had already heard about the brand on the way here, and thought it was some noble person who came, but he didn't want to see that the person who came was dressed in commoner clothes, slovenly; he could not see the slightest bit of dignity.

The white gull was carried back to the farmhouse yesterday by a man from Jiangjia Village in a cart pulling firewood. It is inevitable to be disgraced and haggard.

"Dare to ask this lord's name?"

Seeing the dubious probing of the governor in front of him, Bai Ou didn't want to talk nonsense with him, so he slapped the sign in his hand on the table.

"Ouch!" Fu Yin trembled in fright when he saw the sign, and quickly stepped forward and bowed to the ground, "It's a villain who has eyes but doesn't know Mount Tai—"

"You bastards, what are you still doing blankly!" He said, looking up at the white gull's attire, and hastily instructed his surroundings, "Hurry up and inform the small kitchen to prepare food, and then go to Ruifuxiang to buy clean clothes for the adults... ..."

"Master Fu Yin, at this moment..." The subordinate beside him murmured softly, "The door hasn't been opened yet..."

"Break down the door!" Fu Yin exaggeratedly raised his voice, "Hurry up!"

bath?

The places dozens of miles outside the city have already drank mud, how can there be water for bathing here?

Is it because the natural disaster outside the city has not yet affected the city, or is it that the disaster of God has never affected this group of nobles?

"Enough!" Bai Gu interrupted impatiently, "I'm here to ask you something."

"Yes, yes, the subordinate must know everything and say everything!" Fu Yin hurriedly nodded and bowed while agreeing, while whispering: "Show me some tea."

"The drought outside the city—" Bai Gu licked his chapped and peeled lips, "Does your Lin'an Prefecture know about it or not? How many nearby prefectures and counties have been affected?"

"Well... the officials of the neighboring prefectures and counties are not very clear about it, but this Lin'an..." Fu Yin said with an embarrassed smile, "The next official has already reported the drought in Lin'an ...It's just that the court hasn't replied yet..."

Fu Yin faltered to answer, when the servants at the side just brought hot tea, he saw the white gull's face getting darker, and hurriedly changed the subject, "My lord, drink some tea first, drink tea... "

The white gull lifted the lid of the cup and saw a few large and fine chrysanthemums soaking in it, and a few emerald green bamboo leaves floating on the water.

All good things to cool off.

But what remained in his mouth was the salty taste of yesterday's bowl of muddy water.

He has never drank such bad water in his life, so he will probably never forget that taste in his life.

The Fu Yin on the side looked at the white gull with a black face holding a teacup for a long time without drinking, so he was busy flattering him and said——

"These are all high-quality Hangbai chrysanthemums, the kind that were brought to the palace as tribute, and are the same as what His Majesty drank; the water for making tea is still the snow water that accumulated last winter, and the bamboo leaves are also pinched and hung The tender tips of the dewdrops are the most..."

Bai Gu couldn't listen anymore, he smashed the teacup in his hand, got up and kicked Fu Yin's chest, kicking him to the ground.

All the people in the room were frightened by the white gull's aura and were stunned for a while before they surrounded the governor.

"Big, big..."

Fu Yin was so frightened that his front collar was drenched with sweat. He coughed twice while speaking, and the acid in his stomach was kicked out. He hurriedly stretched out his hand to cover his mouth, as if he was afraid that he would vomit blood and be violent on the spot. shoot.

"Where is the servant not being attentive..."

Seeing Bai Ou raising his feet to walk towards him, the governor was "wisdom in a hurry" in order to survive, remembering that Bai Ou had been in this front hall for so long, he was talking about the same thing.

"Chen's statement of drought has been handed over to the lower officials, but the court has not responded, and the lower officials can't do anything..." He hastily explained: "The granary was emptied for disaster relief last year, and it could not be filled last year; this year If the imperial court doesn't allocate food and silver...what can the lower officials do..."

Bai Gu stood still in front of the governor, looked down at him condescendingly, and said indifferently: "You can hide in the mansion and take a bath and drink tea."

"This, this is the status of serving your lord, you are a low-level official..." The governor stammered: "On weekdays, I don't dare to be a low-ranking official..."

"Shut up." Bai Ou didn't want to continue talking nonsense with the governor, he leaned over and grabbed the man by the front, and pulled him up, "Listen well, I want a fast horse, you can drive me!" Good document, tell the post stations along the road that they are ready to change horses for me at any time."

He wants to return to Jiangning as soon as possible.

He is going back to the palace.

He wants to see Li Yu.

"Also, if you have a big mouth, let others know—" He pointed with another finger at the cup that he smashed behind him, "I'll make you like it, so broken that you can't put it together. "

From Lin'an to Jiangning, it took Chen Zhen's chariot and horse team more than ten days to travel. If he was alone and with light vehicles, the journey would only take seven or eight days.

White Gull traveled day and night, he walked this road for two full months, and arrived at the palace on the fourth day and night when he returned.

Because of that sign, he easily entered even though the palace gate was under curfew; as for the way to Guangming Palace, I'm afraid no one knows it better than him.

Before he made the decision to go back to the palace in a hurry, he only thought about not keeping Li Yumeng in the dark, and he didn't think about it at all. Now that he really entered Guangming Palace, he saw the familiar pavilion and bedroom, but his footsteps were Slowed down unconsciously.

Seeing the first words of the little emperor, what should I say?

He silently put down the hand that was about to knock on the door, and finally walked to the window, and looked in through the little slit that was wedged open.

The lights were still on in the dormitory.

"Your Majesty, the time of ugliness is almost over..." Xiao Yao looked at Li Yu who was reading a book leaning on the bed frame, and frowned, "Let's rest?"

"Yeah." Li Yu held the scroll in his hand and didn't raise his eyes when he spoke, "Where's the medicine?"

"Alas—" Xiao Yao sighed softly, "You have taken it today, and you forced me to increase your dosage, which is more than what Doctor Zhang ordered before."

White Gull stood by the window, unknowingly clenched the window frame with his fingers.

"Really? I forgot." Li Yu's eyes were still fixed on the scroll, "Then let's meet later, I'm not sleepy now."

"Your Majesty—" Xiao Yao looked worried, "It's not a problem to go on like this! If you really can't sleep, or a servant, I'd better send you to Yongxiang. It will always be better with Su Momo .”

"No." Li Yu still buried his face in the scroll, "Always go, Mammy should worry about it again."

"But you are always suffering like this. The current situation is still not good. How about you fall ill like Mr. Chen first?"

Seeing that Li Yu was perfunctory at first, but now he is completely too lazy to answer, so he just stared at the tome that didn't know what was written in it, with no intention of resting, the more Xiao Yao read it, the more anxious he became.

"If Your Majesty insists on doing this, then this slave will tell Mother Su right now!"

"Xiao Yao!" Li Yu threw away the scroll and hurriedly grabbed Xiao Yao, "Do you think I don't want to sleep...I already, already, can only see him in my dreams..."

"I want to sleep well more than anyone else..." His voice was a little choked up, not too obvious, "It's just that Chen Jin fell ill, and the Jiangnan matter is still pending, how do you want me to sleep..."

So, did the little emperor already know about it?

Bai Gu stood outside the window, but didn't have the heart to continue thinking.

Li Yu had been burying his face in the scroll before, and Bai Gu couldn't see clearly even by the candlelight. Now that the other party threw the scroll, he finally saw the person he hadn't seen for more than two months.

Li Yuzheng was talking, but he heard a strange noise beside the bed. He turned his head in horror, thinking that he was in a dream for a moment.

His elder brother Bai Gu broke in through the window, turned over the desk, and now stood five or six feet away and stared at him.

Looking back at Xiao Yao who was stunned by the side, he realized that this was not a dream, nor a hallucination, and Xiao Yao must have seen it——

That person is White Gull.

He threw off the quilt and got off the bed, just like the first time he threw himself into the arms of the white gull in the gazebo, and walked towards the white gull with bare feet.

But the distance of five or six feet seems to be as long as two months, two years, or two lifetimes.

He finally stood less than one person away from the white gull, but the steps under his feet could no longer move——

It's like guarding a beautiful dream, taking a step forward for fear of breaking it, and taking a step back for fear of waking up.

He just felt his whole body trembling.

Bai Gu took a step forward and flicked Li Yu's forehead lightly as before.

No matter how hard he tried to look natural, the tremor in his voice gave away—

"You...why have you lost weight?"

The author has something to say: the computer is broken today, and the manuscript is still stored on the computer. The stupid author can’t operate it with a mobile phone, so I’m late~ I’m so sorry!

Look at the way I didn't run 3 kilometers today.. Forgive me this time...

感谢在2020-08-1323:35:06~2020-08-1423:38:44期间为我投出霸王票或灌溉营养液的小天使哦~

Thanks to the little angel who threw mines: cot1801;

Thanks to the little angel who irrigates the nutrient solution: 729. Little sweetheart, a fish? Nianyuan likes Gao Tianyang 1 bottle;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!