Empress with no Virtue Chapter 14: Trap

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Ji Wu Jiu summoned the Folangji merchant Ma Deli at the Wuying Palace, but did not invite Ye Zhenzhen, but Ye Zhenzhen still went there shamelessly.

Wuying Hall is in the front palace, where the emperor works. No ordinary harem women are allowed to enter without permission, except for Ye Zhenzhen.

Since the founding emperor of Da Qi was a woman, the iron rule that "the harem must not interfere with politics" was not easy to apply to Da Qi's harem. Moreover, in the history of this dynasty, there was also a strange woman who served as an official in the court and a queen at the same time.

But it would be inappropriate if all the women in the harem came up to comment on the government affairs, so the smart people came up with a compromise: as the mother of the country, the queen can naturally participate in discussing national policies, which can be regarded as helping the emperor to share his worries. To solve the problem, as for the other women in the harem, they should do whatever they want.

So the queen's status in the harem is somewhat transcendent. She is the master of the six palaces and manages other women. She can also freely enter and leave the front palace and put forward some opinions on the government affairs according to the emperor's needs.

In fact, except for a few who are ambitious or want to find new ways to please the emperor, most women do not have a good impression of politics. Therefore, such a nondescript policy has been effective for hundreds of years and has not caused any "female chicken Sichen" problems in the harem.

Today, Ye Zhenzhen endured her boredom with Ji Wu Jiu and went to Wuying Palace.

Madeli has tall eyebrows, red hair, blue eyes, pale skin, tall stature, and exudes a ghostly aura. In recent years, with the opening of Daqi's maritime ban and the opening of border ports for trade, many foreigners have poured into Daqi, most of them businessmen, and some missionaries. Both Ji Wu Jiu and Ye Zhen Zhen had heard some rumors about them, but this was the first time they saw them in person.

As a shrewd businessman, Ma Deli carefully learned the etiquette necessary to meet the emperor in the palace. He knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In this mysterious and rich eastern country, he would be the first European to be received by the country's supreme monarch. He seemed to see countless gold waving to him, as well as those nobles. With flattering eyes, these people who usually have an arrogant attitude will talk to him in a gentle voice, and the purpose is just to ask him to leave some fine silk fabrics or exquisite porcelain.

Ha! ha! ha! ! !

Just thinking about this kind of thing makes people feel happy.

So when Ji Wu Jiu thought that Ma Deli would put one hand on his chest and bend down to salute like the legendary Westerners, this guy fell to the ground with a "pop" and bowed, "Common people come to see the emperor, long live the emperor! Long live the emperor!" ”

Ji Wu Jiu: "..."

The person on the ground has red hair, and his kneeling posture is standard and calm, without any sense of violation.

"Flat body, watch your seat."

At this time, a high-pitched and loud shout sounded outside: "The Queen has arrived -" As soon as the voice finished, a woman dressed up walked in. Ma Deli suddenly remembered the advice given to him by an official from the Ministry of Etiquette: He should not stare at the Queen, let alone kiss her hand! Let's put it this way, if you dare to touch the hem of her clothes, the emperor will definitely chop off your head!

So before Ma Deli's **** even touched the chair, he hurriedly stood up again, bowed his head and knelt down to the woman who came in, "The Queen is a thousand years old, a thousand years old!" His eyes saw the hem of her skirt and shoes, the exquisite The degree made him directly convert it into gold and sighed, thinking that she was indeed the most noble woman in this country.

Ye Zhenzhen first wished Ji Wu Jiu a blessing. After seeing the blessing, she then looked at the person kneeling on the ground and said, "Get up, sit down and talk."

Ji Wu Jiu didn’t express any objection to Ye Zhen Zhen’s uninvited visit. The emperor and empress chatted with Ma Deli, asking questions about this and that. Ma Deli talked eloquently, and the atmosphere was harmonious for a while.

Ji Wujiu asked Ma Deli about the customs and customs of their hometown, and Ma Deli told them everything he could. But to be honest, before Europe robs the whole world, it really has nothing to offer, especially in front of this ancient civilization with a long history, economic prosperity, and splendid culture. Some technological inventions are highlights, but here they can only be regarded as "wonderful tricks". Ji Wu Jiu listened with little interest, but Ye Zhenzhen was very interested. She also focused on asking about the adventures of several boatmen in their history, as well as the maritime hegemony between several European countries. The entire history of Europe's fortunes is actually a history of invasion, so no matter how well they whitewash it, smart people can still hear the smell of blood.

Ji Wu Jiu is a smart person among smart people, so he quickly sensed something was wrong: these barbarians are brave and fierce, and they plunder other countries, and their sea power seems to be very powerful. Being targeted by them... Ji Wu Jiu narrowed his eyes dangerously.

Then His Majesty the Emperor also began to join the discussion, and the atmosphere became very lively.

After Ma Deli left, Ji Wu Jiu looked at Ye Zhen Zhen calmly, "You are very smart."

"Your Majesty's reward." I have said it many times, I am extremely smart.

No, not just smart. What's unique about Ye Zhenzhen is that she doesn't limit her thinking to a certain box, but instead thinks about everything. The men of the Da Qi Dynasty were accustomed to using the methods of Confucius and Mencius to solve family and state affairs, but little did they know that the real "Great Way" was all-encompassing. As a king of a superior country, you should naturally have the mind of a king of a superior country. As the saying goes, "A ruler is long and an inch is short." Even the barbarians on the frontier have their own things worth learning...

"Your Majesty." Ye Zhenzhen suddenly interrupted Ji Wu Jiu's thinking.

"Huh?" Ji Wu Jiu looked at Ye Zhen Zhen.

"I heard that you are going to Beiyan for hunting in the next few days?" Ye Zhenzhen's eyes were bright and she had a flattering smile on her face, "I have admired the emperor's military strategy for a long time and really want to see the emperor in person. The grace of riding a horse and bending a bow."

"It's rare to hear a few words of compliment from the queen." Ji Wu Jiu said. He knew what Ye Zhenzhen was thinking, but he chose not to mention it.

Beiyan is more than a hundred miles away from the capital, at the foot of Yanshan Mountain. There were rocks there and the land was not fertile, so the royal family set aside a place to raise deer, sheep, rabbits, and the like. In autumn, the emperor would lead his ministers to ride horses and hunt here. Inspired by the historical lesson of the previous dynasty's emphasis on civil and military affairs, which led to its demise, this dynasty attaches great importance to military preparations, and noble men are also proud of being both civil and military. This time of year is a good time for princes and princes from various families to show off their skills in front of the Holy One.

When Ye Zhenzhen was not out of the cabinet, his brothers would bring some trophies home. She also wanted to see them, but she never had the chance - the adults in the family were afraid that she would touch them.

Looking at Ye Zhenzhen’s expectant eyes, Ji Wu Jiu said, “I want to give you a test. If you answer well, I will take you there.”

"What is the test?"

"Now that the busy farming season is over, the imperial court wants to recruit farmers to manage the Yellow River. I plan to order the Ministry of Industry to build embankments and dams in areas with severe floods in previous years, and build a reservoir to store water during floods and provide relief during droughts. What do you think? ?"

Ye Zhenzhen said, "This is a good thing for generations to come, Your Majesty!"

"Yes," Ji Wu Jiu nodded, "It's just that this project is huge and there is no suitable candidate at the moment. Who do you think can take on the big job?"

"..." You can't say this casually, especially since Ye Zhenzhen's second brother is in the Ministry of Industry. She thought for a while and declined, "Well... I don't know those people well, so how can I make rash comments? Your Majesty, you have a sharp eye, and you will definitely be able to find the right candidate."

“Can’t answer?” Ji Wu Jiu raised his eyebrows.

"No...Your Majesty, how about you change the question?"

"That's fine. This project requires a large amount of money. Just to manage the people's meals requires a lot of food. What does the Queen think should be done to ensure that the officials below will not exploit each other?"

The problem of official corruption cannot be eradicated. Many capable ministers throughout the ages have failed on this issue. Ye Zhenzhen thought for a while and said, "Why don't we draw out the firepower?"

"Oh? Why are you trying to pull the trigger?"

"There is no need to allocate large amounts of money. The money will be held at the Ministry of Household Affairs first. The people who manage the water can be recruited locally and let them take care of their own food and accommodation. Those who participate in the construction of the reservoir will be exempted from taxes for two years; the family members are small or have too many people. Otherwise, the degree of reduction or exemption will increase or decrease accordingly. When the tax is collected next year, this amount of money will have been deducted from the local total tax revenue, and the Ministry of Household Affairs will just settle the accounts." There is a period of time in between when farmers are busy in autumn and start farming in spring next year. It's relatively leisurely. Anyway, leisure time is leisure time, and you have to eat when you are free. If this policy is followed, many people will come to apply for the job. With more people, the progress of the project will speed up, and it may be completed before the summer floods next year.

Ji Wu Jiu tapped his index finger on the table, eyes lowered in disbelief.

"Oh, by the way, if there is a garrison nearby, the army will go to work if they have nothing to do. Just think of it as a way to keep fit."

Ji Wu Jiu suddenly raised his head and looked at Ye Zhen Zhen with a smile, "That's very good."

Ye Zhenzhen was stunned, based on her experience, Ji Wu Jiu didn't like to laugh, but if he laughed, it would definitely be bad. She was uneasy, "I just said it casually, so the emperor doesn't need to take it seriously."

"No, you answered very well," he stood up, "Let's go and accompany me to Cining Palace to see my mother."

Didn’t I just read it this morning... Ye Zhenzhen thought reluctantly.

In Cining Palace, the Queen Mother rarely saw Ji Wu Jiu and Ye Zhen Zhen coming together, and Ji Wu Jiu seemed to be in a good mood. The Queen Mother felt uncomfortable, but she didn't show it on her face. When she looked at Ji Wu Jiu, her face turned into a motherly smile.

"It's hard for you to be busy with government affairs, but you still want to visit Ai's family."

"Where are you, Queen Mother? Seeing you in good health, I can feel at ease in handling court affairs."

The two people got together and started to show the affection between mother and son.

Ye Zhenzhen felt bored, looked at her nose and heart, and said nothing. She knew that it would be difficult to please the Queen Mother with her status, so she simply stopped wasting her efforts.

"This is the Diamond Sutra copied by the late Concubine Xian for the Ai family. Look at the words and smell the fragrance carefully. As the Ai family recites it, they feel like they are seeing the Buddha. This child has a sincere heart." The Queen Mother began to chatter, and when praising the Buddha, she did not forget to spare the virtuous concubine.

"As long as the Queen Mother likes it." Ji Wu Jiu always believed that the stories in Buddhist scriptures were nonsense. Since the Queen Mother was his biological mother, he was embarrassed to say anything disobeying.

"Concubine Xian, this child is really adorable... How are you two doing these days?"

Ye Zhenzhen thought to herself, saying such words in front of the Queen, how impatient are you, the Queen Mother?

"I haven't seen her for a few days." Ji Wu Jiu told the truth.

The Queen Mother sighed.

Ji Wu Jiu said, "Empress, I have my own sense of control regarding the harem. The Empress also takes care of other things very well, so I don't need to worry about it."

Ye Zhen Zhen raised her ears, why did she feel that there was something in Ji Wu Jiu's words?

The Queen Mother looked unhappy, "You are a child of the Ai family, how can the Ai family not care about you?"

"I care about my mother, and the child feels it in my heart. But since she is 'in her position, she will pursue her own affairs', so the queen should naturally do what the queen should do, and cannot hide behind your back and be lazy." Ji Wu Jiu said and looked at A glance at Ye Zhenzhen.

Ye Zhenzhen received Ji Wujiu’s look and said smoothly, “Yes, the mother is so troubled, it really frightens the child.”

A thoughtful person listens to Wu Xinyan. When the Queen Mother heard what Ye Zhenzhen said, she immediately looked a little worried.

Ji Wu Jiu was also surprised. Did she already know?

After chatting for a while, Ji Wu Jiu led Ye Zhen Zhen away. When I was leaving, I asked the Queen Mother for someone, an inconspicuous little eunuch.

Ye Zhen Zhen was very confused, thinking that the slave might have offended Ji Wu Jiu. It looked like he was going to be in bad luck.

Sure enough, as soon as he returned to Qianqing Palace, Ji Wu Jiu ordered a certain **** to be killed with a stick.

Tsk, tsk, so cruel. After Ye Zhenzhen heard about this, she thought to herself.