258, Perverted Factory Worker 9

In a blink of an eye, Zong Zheng Qingqi has been on the throne for more than a month. Until now, he still remembers the surprise and joy when he walked to the dragon throne surrounded by court officials. He also remembers the excitement and ambition when he sat on the dragon throne that all the royal brothers and sisters longed for, overlooking the panoramic view of the Golden Palace from a high place, and everyone was obedient at his feet.

All this was too unreal for the young Zong Zheng Qingqi, just like a dream.

As for the health of the emperor, it did not cause much ripples in Zong Zheng Qingqi's heart. Since he could remember, he had not seen his father many times. In the palace, if it were not for the birth of his mother, they would be like invisible people. Compared with the favored royal brother Zong Zheng Qingde, Zong Zheng Qingqi could not say that he did not resent his father.

But no matter what, the first person his father thought of after the eldest and third brothers got into trouble was him, and Zong Zheng Qingqi was still a little grateful.

So he let Concubine Jiang, the most favored concubine of his father, stay by his side to serve him. His father would be very satisfied. Concubine Jiang was born as a palace maid and knew how to serve people. Since his father loved her so much, she would definitely repay him with the most considerate service.

For Zong Zheng Qingqi, such a decision could not be more perfect, and it also saved his mother, the current Empress Dowager, from suffering the pain of serving the sick.

But if there are any unsatisfactory things in life, there are still some.

*****

"Your Majesty, only those who endure hardships can become the best. Xiao Chu has great power in the court and his followers are all over the court. It is not good for your Majesty to break up with him at this time. Now, we can only keep a low profile, accumulate strength, and wait until the right time to pull down the treacherous eunuch. This is the right way."

Although Zong Zheng Qingqi became the emperor, he was still young after all, and he still had to take the courses he should take.

But he didn't need to go to the official school anymore, but had a one-on-one tutor to teach him.

Everyone thought that Xiao Chu would choose his confidant to teach Zong Zheng Qingqi and spoil him while he was still young, but who knew that Xiao Chu did not intervene in the selection of the imperial teacher from beginning to end. The choice of the imperial tutor was made by Zong Zheng Qingqi and the Queen Mother Wanqi Lan.

The old Jiang standing in front of him now was one of the few royalists in the court. He always stood firmly on the side of the emperor. He had retired because he was dissatisfied with the absurdity of Emperor Chengqing, but now the court was in chaos, and the new emperor was still young. Therefore, after receiving the imperial edict, this retired old censor returned to the court again and became the imperial tutor.

"Taifu, don't worry, I know what to do."

Zong Zheng Qingqi nodded. He also knew how powerful Xiao Chu was now. After he ascended the throne, the other party took advantage of his young age and was not suitable for personal rule as an excuse to take over all the government affairs, causing him, the emperor, to be like a puppet when he was in court, and he didn't even have the right to review memorials.

But for such a treasonous thing, there was not a single voice of opposition in the court, and everyone succumbed to Xiao Chu's tyranny.

This emperor was really frustrated, Zong Zheng Qingqi was undecided, and he was also very proud. When he encountered such a situation, his dissatisfaction naturally increased exponentially.

"I also want to ask, Your Majesty, what do you want to do."

Silently, behind this pair of monarchs and ministers who admired each other, there was suddenly another figure. The Xiao Chu they were talking about appeared outside the door.

Why didn't the palace guards outside say anything?

Zong Zheng Qingqi and Jiang Lao looked at each other nervously. What they said just now should have been heard by Xiao Chu. I'm afraid that the other party is now eager to get rid of them.

The emperor has a younger prince. Zong Zheng Qingqi knows that Xiao Chu's real intention is to ascend the throne to his younger brother. If the other party hears his and Jiang Lao's calculations, it may give the other party an excuse to pull him, the puppet emperor, off the throne and support Zong Zheng Qingde to take the throne.

"I want to know, what did I do not do well enough to make your majesty want to get rid of me so quickly?"

Since Emperor Chengqing abdicated, Yan Chu's health has improved a lot, because no one forced him to take those deadly pills. At this moment, he looks less sinister and looks quite handsome.

"Gu, Gu..."

Zong Zheng Qingqi looked at Xiao Chu, his heart pounding, and he couldn't speak.

"Your Majesty is young, and those things just now were all instigated by me, your majesty. If Governor Xiao is dissatisfied, just come to me."

Jiang Lao couldn't bear to see a eunuch like Xiao Chu threatening his majesty. What qualifications did he have? The thing of cutting off his descendants was also crazy. The emperor was crazy, so he let him climb to the current unshakable position.

"You are indeed wrong. The Queen Mother asked you to be His Majesty's teacher, not to teach him to be ambitious. You want him to run fast before he learns to walk."

Yan Chu's accusation made Jiang Lao's chest hurt, and also made Zong Zheng Qingqi embarrassed and wanted to dig a hole to bury himself in.

What does Xiao Chu mean by this? Does he think he is not worth using?

"Your Majesty is skeptical about my words. Well, let me ask your Majesty, there is a severe drought in the East Province, and the grain harvest is less than 30% of the past. In the East Province, tens of thousands of people have starved to death, and many people of the big merchants have been displaced. If your Majesty handles this matter, what will your Majesty decide?"

Yan Chu was talking about the most heatedly debated issue in the court not long ago.

"The imperial court allocated funds to urgently transfer grain from the major grain-producing provinces in the south to the eastern provinces, and then asked the local county magistrate to open granaries to appease the people before the relief grain arrived."

Zongzheng Qingqi saw that this was Yan Chu's test for him. He thought about some of the rescue measures he had heard in the morning, integrated them, combined them with his own thinking, and said confidently.

Mr. Jiang listened on the side, the expression on his face softened a lot. According to the new emperor's age, it was already remarkable that he could say such a move.

"Then I would like to ask Your Majesty, do you know what the current price of food is, and how much money the national treasury needs to allocate to help the victims of the Eastern Province?" Yan Chu's face showed no emotion or anger, and he had no comment on Zong Zheng Qingqi's political views. .

"Do you need to know this? Are the officials in the Ministry of Household Affairs just decorations?" Zongzheng Qingqi felt that Yan Chu was making things difficult for him, and his face suddenly fell.

A ten-year-old child could not hide his thoughts very well. Yan Chu sighed in his heart. The future Mingjun was just a ignorant doll now.

"Eastern Province is traditionally a major grain-producing province. Due to the drought that broke out in Eastern Province this year, food prices in other areas have soared. Grain prices in the capital, including those in the capital, have also been affected by the drought in Eastern Province. The price of rice per stone has dropped from 500 to 500 at the beginning. Wen has risen to the current 800 Wen, and the price of grain reported by the Ministry of Household Affairs officials is 1,300 Wen per stone."

Such a price is two or three times the original price of food.

Zongzheng Qingqi was stunned after hearing Yan Chu's words. In the morning session today, Xiao Chu attacked the Minister of Civil Affairs. He originally thought that the other party wanted to support his own people to come to power. He didn't know that there was such a reason.

The people of Eastern Province are in dire straits, so why are there still those corrupt officials who are making it difficult for the country to make a fortune at this time?

Zongzheng Qingqi felt that his chest was tight, partly because of his unclear understanding of people, arrogance and stupidity, and partly because of the shame and anger of making a fool of himself in front of his biggest enemy. The mixture of several emotions made him feel uncomfortable. Zongzheng Qingqi's face was particularly ugly.

"As well as what your Majesty said about allocating disaster relief funds, Your Majesty also knows that when Wuhuan was hit by floods three years ago, the imperial court allocated 3 million taels. However, the relief funds that finally reached Wuhuan were only 150,000 taels. In the end, the people of Wuhuan He simply turned into a bandit and became a problem that has not yet been dealt with in the Huxi area. Your Majesty just allocated money easily, but have you ever thought about how to ensure that the disaster relief funds can reach the people in the disaster-stricken areas? "

Yan Chu did not let Zongzheng Qingqi go. He questioned Zongzheng Qingqi one after another, hitting Zongzheng Qingqi's heart word by word. His complacency just now seemed to be just a joke.

"Also, I just got a secret from the Admiral of Eastern Province. The magistrate of Ryukyu County in Eastern Province took pity on the people and opened a granary privately. The local victims rioted, broke through the defense line originally set by the county magistrate, and swept away the granary. Ryukyu County Ling realized that he had committed a serious crime and hanged himself in the county government office."

In the face of natural disasters, not everyone can maintain their humanity. They are so hungry that they can't do anything.

It was a good thing that the granary was not open. When the granary was opened, no strict preparations were made. Seeing the granary full of food, the hungry victims did not care about the court's laws. Looting was just a prelude. When the time came, those who did not There will inevitably be another bloody battle between those who grab the food and those who grab the food.

As for other towns and counties, seeing what the people of Ryukyu County have done, they are so hungry that they will be inspired to imitate their actions. By then, there will be no peace left to talk about in the Eastern Province.

I think the county magistrate also realized this and realized that he had done bad things with good intentions and caused great disaster. He felt ashamed of the court, so he hanged himself.

This is also the reason why, for example, when opening a granary to replenish grain, the superiors need to be notified first, because when it comes time to open a granary to replenish grain, it must be when the disaster situation is extremely serious. Before opening the granary, the imperial court will send troops to guard outside the granary. , to ensure that food can be distributed to every disaster victim in an orderly manner, and to prevent riots as much as possible.

The garrison also serves as a deterrent, reducing the occurrence of such tragedies as food grabbing and cannibalism in townships and counties.

The more Zongzheng Qingqi listened, the redder his face became. He didn't know that the good advice he heard from the officials had such hidden dangers that needed to be compensated for by other means.

"Civil unrest has broken out in Ryukyu. Do we need to send troops quickly to suppress it?"

Zongzheng Qingqi put aside his embarrassing situation in advance. The most important thing now is to deal with the disaster in the Eastern Province. If this small riot is not handled well, it is likely to turn into a big chaos.

"Four days ago, the minister had ordered the Eastern Province Admiral to dispatch troops to various severely affected towns and counties. The Ryukyu rebellion was only due to the lack of troops arriving. Now that I think about it, those rebellions have been suppressed. Soon, Your Majesty will be able to I received a secret message from the Admiral of Eastern Province."

Yan Chu's words made Zongzheng Qingqi even more ashamed. Four days ago, when the imperial court had just learned about the drought in Eastern Province, the other party had already thought of the civil unrest at that time. Compared with him, he , as expected, it’s still far from enough.

Can he really win against such a scheming traitor?

Zongzheng Qingqi suddenly became a little unsure.

"Mr. Jiang, I agree with the Queen Mother's choice because I believe you can teach an outstanding emperor. Now it seems that you have let me down. Do you also think that the current His Majesty can handle the political affairs above the court?" ?"

Yan Chu shook his head at Jiang Lao, then looked at Zong Zheng Qingqi: "I know you are dissatisfied with me, a eunuch, as regent. Then prove it to me. I am waiting for the day when you take back your Zong Zheng kingdom from me."

After speaking, Yan Chu turned around and left with the hand warmer, leaving them with only a thin and lonely figure wearing fox fur.

Is that the end?

Zong Zheng Qingqi and Jiang Lao were both a little surprised, especially Jiang Lao. He thought that Xiao Chu would dismiss him as the Grand Tutor after listening to his teachings to the new emperor. If the other party was less generous, he could even confiscate the property of his Jiang family and exile them with his power.

Jiang Lao was not sure whether the other party was deliberately creating confusion or really disdained to take action against him as he showed.

But he had to admit that Yan Chu's performance just now gave him a new view of this treacherous eunuch who was more often mentioned in rumors.

The author has something to say: During the day, I can only stare blankly at the computer, and only at night do I have the urge to touch the keyboard. Staying up late may have become a disease, a tragedy.