Prince's Revenge

Chapter 11

Under the cold moonlight, with the cold spring evening wind, Zong Qixiu's face was gently blown, and the tips of his temple hair were slightly raised. Under the moonlight, his side face was as warm as white jade, soft like a An ink painting.

He Yaodu walked to the window, put on his coat for him, and said softly: "The night is cold, be careful of freezing."

When his fingers touched Zong Qixiu's shoulder, Zong Qixiu trembled all over. After seeing the person coming, he let out a shallow breath and said with a smile, "Thank you." She was willing to move her hand away, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry for what happened just now."

"It's okay." Zong Qixiu said calmly.

The more he was like this, the more He Yaodu felt sorry: "If I hadn't forced you to come here, you wouldn't have been humiliated by that guy. I really wanted to chop off his head just now."

Zong Qixiu turned his head to look, and He Yaodu still had an expression of resentment on his face, as if he was the one who was humiliated, which was completely different from his usual.Sensing Zong Qixiu's gaze, he smiled apologetically, like a child who has done something wrong and is eager to distinguish in front of adults.

Zong Qixiu smiled generously: "It has nothing to do with you, so why should you blame yourself?"

"Then you are still up so late!"

Zong Qixiu was stunned, looked up at the moon that had passed the mid-heaven, his expression suddenly became serious, his voice was low but clear: "I'm thinking about Zhu Xianfu."

"I'll just write a letter to Prime Minister Pu Fengzai and ask him to take care of Zhu Xianfu. Is it worth your trouble?"

"Across the country, from the central government to the local government, all Han officials will be embarrassed by the He tribe just like Zhu Xianfu. Today, a post official with no rank dares to reprimand a editor of the Imperial Academy with a seventh rank. Doesn't that mean something? " Zong Qixiu was a little excited, and after he finished speaking, he stared closely at the third prince of He Chao.

He Yaodu looked back at Zong Qixiu, and said: "After I go back, I will ask my father to cancel the ceremony of Han ministers bowing to He ministers, and re-issue the decree. He Han will be a family from now on, and those who violate the order will be punished severely. My He clan It has been five years since I entered the customs, and now there are many He people who are learning to speak Chinese and write Chinese characters, and they are very polite to the prime minister and the general, and they are very polite to the Han officials on weekdays. As long as the father makes an order, the integration of He and Han will definitely be realized."

Zong Qixiu looked away in disappointment, and said softly: "In the second year of Yude, the emperor has already issued a decree, but so far, He and Han are still not allowed to intermarry. How can the emperor not understand what you and I mentioned tonight?" I know, but now he needs the support of the He people's officers and nobles, and the Han ministers to do things for him. He wants to win the hearts of the Han people, but he doesn't want to lose the hearts of the He people. It's just which is more important, the emperor's heart is his own. There is a steelyard."

He Yaodu was taken aback, and looked at Zong Qixiu in disbelief: "You tell me this tonight..."

Zong Qixiu regained his usual calm expression, and said softly: "The Zong Dynasty was perish at the hands of my two brothers, and the Han people were all killed by my brothers. I always feel ashamed of the world, and I don't have the courage to kill myself. It’s all just lingering. I saw what happened to Zhu Xianfu with my own eyes today, and I’m talking about my emotions, my lord, don’t take it to heart.”

He Yaodu put his hands on his shoulders, and said emotionally: "Don't worry, I will make you worry-free for the rest of your life."

Zong Qixiu shook his head and sighed: "One body of He and Han, the country is peaceful and prosperous, and the guilt in my heart can be overcome, but it's not easy. Now the government affairs are being controlled by the fourth prince and others... Forget it, it's getting late, my lord, let's go back and rest."

Zong Qixiu felt the hands on his shoulders increase strength, and after a long time, He Yaodu didn't speak, the two of them looked at the moon outside the window, with different thoughts.

Early the next morning, several people parted with Zhu Xianfu at the gate of the post house. Si Jing packed some Zong Qixiu's clothes, made a small parcel, and changed Zhu Xianfu's laundry on the way.He Yaodu handed him a letter, saying that it was addressed to the prime minister, and that Zhu Xianfu could go to him after he came to Beijing.After Zhu Xianfu thanked everyone a thousand times, he bid farewell to everyone.

For some reason, after talking with Zong Qixiu that night, He Yaodu's mind was not only on Shanshui and Zong Qixiu, he paid attention to the passing pedestrians and the village beside the official road.

He was secretly surprised by the sight in front of him.

Zhili and the capital are only separated by a Tianjin gate. In the Battle of Hezong, because of the sudden attack of the He clan, the iron cavalry moved south quickly, and the Zong dynasty emphasized civility over military affairs. The area of ​​Zhili was quickly occupied with little resistance, and unaffected by the war.After the He people entered the customs, the movement of people between different places was strictly controlled. The merchants and handicraftsmen in the cities and towns still stayed in the cities and towns, and the farmers in the villages still cultivated the land.He Yaodu always thought that even if a village is ruled by a He family, the Han people can still live and work in peace and contentment as before.

But he was wrong, very wrong.

Among the merchants who came and went, the great man of the He nationality rode tall on the horse. Most of his Han followers were dressed in rags and skinny, and they followed closely behind the horse, not daring to take a step off the horse. Being whipped with a leather whip is not as good as the He people's crotch horse.

The peasants in the village worked in the fields like livestock, but the land had already been squeezed dry by various taxes and corvee, and was transferred to the leader of the He tribe.In other words, there is only one landlord in each village, and that is the leader of the He clan.The hard work of the farmers' families can only be paid for their stomachs.

The more He Yaodu watched, the more startled he became, and the more angry he became, several times he wanted to rush forward to seek justice for those oppressed Han people, but Zong Qixiu stopped him.Since that night, Zong Qixiu has gotten closer to him a lot, and would talk to him about folk affairs on the way.Zong Qixiu said that unless they can buy all these Han Chinese back, otherwise, if they are impulsive now and stand up for them, after they leave, they will be punished more cruelly and more likely to die because of it.

He Yaodu clenched his hands tightly, and his joints creaked, He Suyue was so frightened that he didn't dare to go forward, and followed behind to watch her brother and Zong Qixiu advance side by side.

A sense of powerlessness welled up in the prince's heart.He Yaodu, who originally decided to make this trip only to repay Zhang Zhizhen's favor, would never have imagined that the suffering of the people has become so unbearable.This is still Zhili not far from the imperial city, where the sky is high and the emperor is far away, the Han people don't know what kind of misery they live in.

He and Han are one, the world is prosperous, and Yude's slogan for the second year really slapped him in the face mercilessly. He used to naively think that He and Han got along well.

It was easier said than done, last night Zong Qixiu's sigh lingered in his heart for a long time.What is the father's plan? Is it really like what Zong Qixiu said, to compromise with the He clan?Then after the second elder brother succeeds to the throne, with the second elder brother's idea of ​​being close to the Han, maybe the integration of He and Han can be realized in the hands of the second elder brother.But the ministers of the He tribe and the fourth younger brother in the Manchu Dynasty, as well as the eldest brother who holds a heavy soldier, will let the second brother who is pro-Han successfully ascend the throne?He thought about the punishment his second brother received some time ago, and thinking about it now, it might not be as simple as it seems on the surface.

This person who wanted to be an idle prince in a peaceful and prosperous age cast his eyes on the former prince Zong Qixiu meaningfully.

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