novelden Chapter 386: Fell on the Street
Chapter 386: Fell on the Street
As Xiangsizi left, the door of the Lin family slowly closed. When it opened again, it was the time when the owner of the house left Yanjing.
The streets of Yanjing were unprecedentedly bustling, with official carriages passing by in an orderly manner. The grand and spectacular royal procession at the front attracted the people to follow the procession involuntarily, eager to have the honor of catching a glimpse of the emperor's face.
Pei Dafu respectfully presented a small and exquisite book to the emperor and said softly, "Your Majesty, this is the list of the family members who followed you."
Sheng Jingchen casually opened the book, glanced at it roughly, and threw it aside. A sarcastic smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he said jokingly, "My minister is thoughtful."
Pei Dafu smiled implicitly and then turned his eyes to the notebook.
At the same time, a small hand also fell on the book, picked it up and put it back on the low table in front of the emperor, and flipped through it unscrupulously. However, after only turning a few pages, the book was thrown aside mercilessly.
Sheng Jingchen glanced at the owner of the hand and said with a hint of displeasure, "Close it."
Sheng Hongtong pursed his lips, glanced at the little kid who was still staring at the notebook, then ruthlessly reached out and closed the notebook again.
A trace of disappointment flashed across Xiao Yining's eyes. She was counting heads!
In the notebook that Pei Dafu handed over just now, all the names were of young girls from certain families, aged between thirteen and sixteen or seventeen. Just on the page she was looking at, she roughly counted them and there were more than ten of them.
For this reason, she couldn't help but sigh that her uncle was so lucky.
He is in the prime of his life and is an old baby who is superior to everyone else. He can really make people throw themselves at him like moths to a flame, allowing him to enjoy the blessing of an old cow eating young grass.
At this time, Pei Dafu reported softly, "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Wu'an brought his demented prince with him, and he hopes that Doctor Cui can treat the prince once a day."
Hearing this, Sheng Jingchen frowned slightly, then sighed and said, "Let him be."
Then, he picked up the book again, handed it back to Pei Dafu and instructed, "Let Wu'an Hou pick a daughter-in-law from there, and I will grant him a marriage. Tell Anping to stay away from Wu'an Hou's son to avoid gossip."
Pei Dafu bowed and responded, then left, whispering a few words to Xiao Shunzi who was accompanying him.
Xiao Yining quietly lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, and saw Xiao Shunzi and a group of young eunuchs running back in the dust.
What a hard-working worker.
Sheng Jingchen looked at the little kid's behavior and asked, "Qing Jie'er, do you miss your mother?"
"Mom is right behind. Sister Qing will be able to see her soon. But I don't want to. I have to accompany my uncle." Little Yining replied in a baby voice.
Sheng Jingchen smiled kindly and said, "Stay with your uncle for the next two days. When we get to the palace, I will send you back to your mother."
Xiao Yining nodded and gave a big sweet smile in return.
Who would have thought that in addition to the second prince, there was another child sitting in the emperor's carriage.
Little Yining realized this morning the significance of what his uncle had said yesterday about going to the palace together. It was not about following him, but about accompanying him and entertaining the emperor.
The happiest person here is her mother. It's another day without having to take care of the baby. There is someone to help every day, and she is happy and relaxed.
At that time, Sheng Jingchen no longer had the solemn expression he had in Yanjing. He held a book and half-lying on the couch, looking lazy and relaxed.
Inside the carriage, although the two little kids disliked each other, they did not make a fuss. They maintained harmony, each sitting on one side, gently lifting the curtain and secretly looking at the scenery outside.
The atmosphere seemed exceptionally peaceful.
Soon, the team had gone far away from Yanjing and was on the official road. The only sound on the road was the sound of heavy ruts hitting the mud.
Xiao Yining's originally relaxed expression gradually became solemn.
When the emperor travels, officers and soldiers clear the way.
There were no pedestrians on either side of the official road, but she could still vaguely see many figures in the woods on both sides of the road, they were refugees.
Last year, Yanzhou suffered from severe floods and epidemics, and this year there was a severe drought, which caused the price of grain to rise sharply. Ordinary people could no longer have food to eat, and there were starving people everywhere.
Although my uncle issued a huge amount of relief grain, it was still a drop in the bucket for the huge group of refugees. It could only keep these people alive until the new season's crops matured and entered the national treasury. Then the next wave of relief grain would be issued to keep them alive until the famine was over.
Xiao Yining looked at these refugees and felt an indescribable sadness in his heart.
She lowered the curtain and turned to look at the emperor, with some emotion in her eyes.
"Sister Qing, what's going on?" Although Sheng Jingchen's eyes were on the book, he was very keenly aware of the arrival of the little kid.
The little kid came to Sheng Jingchen and couldn't help asking, "Uncle, are the sweet potatoes you planted in Linjia Village used to save people after they are ripe?"
Sheng Jingchen raised his eyes, looked at the little kid in front of him, and slowly said, "Qingjie, have you seen those refugees? Don't worry, Grandpa Uncle has enough food, and he won't let the people starve to death."
He straightened up, motioned for the kid to sit next to him, and continued calmly: "Man cannot compete with God, but we must also be prepared for a rainy day. The sweet potato that Qingjie discovered does have a large yield, but it's a pity that it can't be planted year after year. It can only meet temporary needs."
"Grandpa Uncle plans to save the sweet potatoes grown in Linjia Village as seeds and popularize the planting methods to the people. Your father has written down several useful methods for long-term storage of sweet potatoes. This way, the people will have one more food to fill their stomachs, and they will have more food even in years of famine."
It turns out that sweet potatoes cannot solve the problem.
Little Yining nodded in disappointment, muttering, "If there is a kind of grain that can produce 10,000 catties per mu, we can store the surplus and not be afraid of famine."
It’s a pity that Grandpa Yuan is not here.
Sheng Jingchen listened to the kid's fairy tale and laughed and shook his head, "If this thing really exists, it would be a miracle."
The little kid looked up at the emperor, wanting to say that man can conquer nature, and maybe that will really happen in the future.
Sheng Jingchen reached out and touched the little kid's head lovingly, but his eyes fell on another little kid.
Although the emperor spoke in a light-hearted manner, the atmosphere in the carriage became somewhat heavy.
Lian Sheng Hongtong stopped looking at the scenery. He sat there, lowering his head and thinking about what his father had said.
Just at this moment, a melodious sound of piano was heard outside the carriage, lingering and lingering, as if telling thousands of words to the lover who was missed.
Xiao Yining blinked in confusion, and it took him a while to react.
It turns out that the emperor had accompaniment when he traveled!
What a way to enjoy life!
The little boy's eyes changed when he looked at the emperor.
Sheng Jingchen's eyes darkened slightly, and a trace of impatience flashed across his face, "Pei Dafu..."
Pei Dafu quickly lifted the curtain of the carriage and asked hopefully, "Your Majesty, what do you want?"
"Cut off the hands of those who disturb my sweet dreams." Sheng Jingchen ordered in a cold voice.
Pei Dafu: ...
Xiao Yining: ...
The curtains of the carriage were lowered, and Xiao Yining saw Xiao Shunzi and a group of guards running back in the wind and dust.
After a while, the piano music stopped and the world became quiet.
The little girl sat next to the emperor and felt like trembling, but fortunately, she restrained herself.
The next moment, the emperor's kind voice sounded in her head again, "Qingjie, please read this miscellany to your uncle."
As he spoke, Sheng Jingchen returned to his original lazy look, the only difference was that he dozed off with his eyes closed, and the cute and childish voice of a little kid reading rang in his ears.
Xiao Yining: Woohoo, I’m also one of the hard-working workers.