Chapter 205: Firecrackers for the New Year
Zhao Yulin was like a crab climbing a hill, wishing these people would not come.
If the imperial court moved to Chengdu, those evildoers and troublemakers would come in and plunder the people's wealth, which would not only destroy the results of his recent reforms, but would also ruin Sichuan and Shu, which would be a big worry for Zhao Yulin.
Finally, Lord Ding once again told Zhao Yulin to be cautious, because the sickly Prince Zhao Bing was the future crown prince, appointed by the Queen Mother. After the news came out in Lin'an, the government did not do anything to Prince Zhao, but just kicked him, cursed him, and put all the blame on the ministers, and exterminated his entire clan.
Zhao Yulin was upset. As the governor, he was supposed to help investigate the unjust case of the Qu family. How did he expect that it would implicate Prince Zhao in secretly raising assassins and raising funds?
But Zhao Yulin is not the kind of person who does a half-finished project. If he is going to do something, he will do it thoroughly and enjoy it first.
He made it clear to Ding Gong that he would not go to Lin'an to be an official, even if the government summoned him. Because he knew that the court was too treacherous and had no time to play risky games with them.
Zhao Yulin raised his glass and drank with Ding Gong, then said firmly that he would be here to protect the peace of Shu.
The old man was delighted and asked him with a smile, "The government has sent two beautiful girls, why don't you hold a banquet for me? All the gentlemen are waiting for the wedding."
His old face flushed and he said he would not marry again. He said he owed women too much in this life and would never marry again.
Seeing that he had a strange expression on his face, the old man raised his glass and asked him to drink, saying that the woman sent by the official should be properly arranged, as she was the official's face.
Zhao Yulin said he knew and had sent her to academy to study, so he wanted to get to know her first.
After dinner, the two went to inspect the construction site. The maintenance of Dujiangyan and the construction of the cable bridge were in full swing, with craftsmen working everywhere.
The people on the river bank cleared the silted earth and rocks like ants moving house, carrying them to the bank one by one. In the iron workshop by the river, the craftsmen were forging iron on site, connecting iron rings one by one, and the red-hot thick iron rods were hammered and bent to fasten the iron rings together.
When Mr. Ding saw that the gate pillars of the cable bridge had been erected and the bridge piers in the river had emerged from the water, he marveled at the speed of the construction team.
Zhao Yulin told him that this team of craftsmen had successful experience in building cable bridges, and coupled with the convenient roads in the western Sichuan basin, building a cable bridge here would naturally be much faster.
“But I’m afraid it won’t be available this year.”
The craftsmen said that the bridge was too long and it would definitely not be completed this year, but they promised to complete it before the water is turned on next year.
When is the water boiling?
It will be the Qingming Festival next year. Every year on the Qingming Festival, Dujiangyan holds a water-releasing ceremony. It would be great if it could be completed before the Qingming Festival.
Mr. Ding happily said that all the expenses for building the bridge would be paid by Chengdu Prefecture, and he would make sure that the bridge was built solid, beautiful and grand.
What Zhao Yulin was most concerned about was the workers' food and safety. He proposed that a meal must be provided every three days so that the masters could have enough to eat and have more oily and meaty dishes.
The craftsmen were delighted and each of them bent their waists 90 degrees to thank Lord Ding and the Third Young Master for their kindness.
The next day, the two men left Dujiangyan. Zhao Yulin and Ding Gong parted ways and headed north. After a short rest in Langzhong, they continued on their way and arrived at the Lizhou Administration Office camp on New Year's Eve.
Seeing him coming, Lao Cao was in a very good mood and invited him to go to the camp to drink and celebrate the New Year with his colleagues.
This year, the Northwest was relatively peaceful. Money houses were established in various places and operated smoothly. After the taxes were deposited into the warehouse, the problem of silver shortage was overcome.
Lao Cao told him happily: Chief Eunuch Ma Ling gave red envelopes to the officials of the Military Control Office Camp. The brothels and theaters in Lizhou have been doing very well these days, and everyone is looking for fun during the New Year.
Zhao Yulin left the table dizzy after a round of drinking and was pulled by Lao Cao to sit in the back hall. Mrs. Cao immediately arranged for a hangover soup to be prepared and served him a fragrant tea.
Lao Cao asked him with concern how he was feeling.
All OK?
It seems that he is drinking even more generously than before.
He smiled and said okay, everything is fine.
Then, Lao Cao said worriedly that the northern barbarians were refusing to leave Henan, the situation in Jinghu was becoming increasingly severe, and the court demoted Meng Gong to guard Huangzhou. He was worried that Xiangyang was in danger.
Zhao Yulin had just arrived and was not clear about the situation on the battlefield. After hearing what he said, he also felt that the problem was serious.
However, the area guarded by the Shenwei Army is too vast, and it is impossible to mobilize a large number of troops. We need to go to Hanzhong to understand the specific situation before making a judgment.
Lao Cao asked him how he got the people of Zhao Wang Bing in Lin'an and touched the tiger's butt. This is a big taboo for officials. When Zhao Wang ascends to the throne in the future, you will definitely be in trouble. You need to be careful.
Zhao Yulin smiled, briefly introduced the process, and said calmly that it had been done, and there was nothing else to worry about. A real man has an open mind, so what is there to be afraid of...
In Lin'an, the year is over with the sound of firecrackers, and the spring breeze brings warmth to Tusu. The whole capital is filled with a joyful and peaceful atmosphere.
The situation was different inside Zhao Wangbing's mansion. This kid in his early twenties was still sulking in the secret room.
Just this morning, the Empress Dowager summoned him, scolded him in front of the Emperor, and sent him back home to be confined to his room for a month to reflect on his mistakes.
Oh my god, I can’t be happy for the whole first month of the New Year.
As soon as he came back, he went crazy in the palace, smashing many of his favorite treasures. Seeing the foxy princess walking towards him with a slightly bulging belly , he was furious. It was her father who acted too erratically and ruined his big plan.
The pregnant princess was winking at him and calling him "Prince" in a delicate voice. The young prince went up and kicked the princess who was accompanying him comfortably. The woman cried out in pain and fell to the ground, and a pool of blood soon appeared on the ground.
Damn it, the little prince is the ruthless one. He actually threw his own flesh and blood into the ground with his own feet.
Zhao Wangbing locked himself in a secret room and refused to see anyone. He wanted to reflect on why he failed. He was so angry.
Zhao Wangbing used his family connections to cultivate his clique and secretly raised funds in Chengdu. After three years of painstaking efforts, he was accidentally taken down by Zhao Yulin. This ensured that the Shenwei Army had no worries about military pay, but Zhao Wangbing's ambitions were exposed to the royal family, which must have been a huge loss.
If it weren't for the fact that he was selected by the Queen Mother and the historians, and there is no second one to replace him, this kid's head would have been moved long ago, and no matter how easy it was, he would be thrown into the Heavenly Prison to distinguish the gender of mice.
However, he did not realize that he was wrong, but instead took out his anger on Zhao Yulin. He gritted his teeth and swore that Zhao Qi'er would not die a horrible death and that he would kill Zhao Qi'er and exterminate all nine generations of his clan.
The fact that Zhao Yulin offended Zhao Wangbing made the historians happiest. It could be said to be their biggest gain this year.
Shi's son is happy now and is no longer afraid that the emperor will protect Zhao Qi'er. He is as patient as his father, Grand Tutor Shi. When the old emperor dies in the future, the son Emperor Zhao Bing will be able to kill Zhao Qi'er after he takes the throne.
This is called a gentleman's revenge, it is never too late.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Zhao Yulin bid farewell to Lao Cao at the north gate of Lizhou and walked through the snow. Five days later, he arrived at his home street in Nanzheng. From afar, he saw a woman in a red jacket jogging around in front of her house. When he got closer, he found that it was Shunzhidi standing at the door, her little face red from the cold.
He dismounted from his horse with a graceful movement, threw off the stirrup, walked forward and pulled Shunzhidi towards the gate, and blamed her for staying outside in such a cold day.
Shunzhidi was very happy to see him holding her hand as soon as he came up, but she still felt a little regretful. Huo Fenghuang told her that as long as she met the young master at the gate, he would pick her up and spin around, but today the young master did not hold her.
Zhao Yulin walked into the gatehouse, rubbed Shunzhidi's cold hands, and seeing her strange expression, he asked her what she was thinking about.
The girl's face turned even redder as she became shy.
He stretched out his hands and hugged the girl to his chest. Shunzhidi was half a head shorter than him, so she buried her head in his chest. Zhao Yulin lowered his head and started to nibble from the forehead, looking for the mouth to attack. The girl shyly dodged .
Zhao Yulin laughed loudly, picked up Zhidi and walked inside, whispering to him as he walked, "Is this interesting?" The girl became more and more shy, and her little head wanted to burrow into his chest.
Soon, Zhidi struggled again to get him to put her down, and asked him with concern if everything was okay, saying that he was very strong.
He chuckled and said, "There will be bigger ones, brother is in good health." His hands tightened and he walked towards the yard without stopping. He didn't see the other women until he entered the living room and put Zhidi down.
He asked other people?
Is she home alone?
Shunzhidi bit her lip and nodded, telling him that sister Ma Ling had given birth and sister Yuqi was about to give birth, and it was sister Fenghuang who asked her to come to Hanzhong to wait for her brother.
Zhao Yulin pulled Shunzhidi into his arms and told her about his longing for her like he was his first love. Shunzhidi's heart was pounding when she heard it. The two of them were like two magnets, getting closer and closer, and soon stuck together.
After a long time, they finally stopped. Seeing the red face of Shunzhidi, he said that her sister Fenghuang was really well-intentioned, so he would not wait any longer and would be his woman. He asked Zhidi to arrange a bath and wash herself well.
The girl immediately ran out as quickly as a rabbit.
Zhao Yulin greeted Feihu with a smile and asked the brothers to go to Huoshui Fish Restaurant by the Han River for a meal after packing up. Feihu's face was delighted and he shouted "Yes, sir."
Later, a large group of people went out and walked towards the fish restaurant. His guards were already standing guard at the gate. Zhao Yulin pointed at Shunzhidi beside him and shouted, "Sister-in-law Zhidi."
The four guys on the left and right shouted in unison, and Shunzhidi was so embarrassed that she kept crawling into his arms. He praised her with a smile: "Your voice is very loud, which shows your sincerity. Your sister-in-law will toast you with three glasses of wine later."
A group of brothers behind him immediately shouted, "Thank you, sister-in-law."
Zhao Yulin walked into the hall and sat down. The wine and food were soon served. He picked up the wine glass and said that today was the day to give everyone a taste of the New Year atmosphere and also to introduce Sister-in-law Shunzhidi to his brothers.
Everyone shouted "Happy New Year" to Zhidi, and after drinking a cup together, the guards immediately became happy. Zhao Yulin asked Zhidi to take to toast the brothers. These guys called her "sister-in-law" so sweetly. The grain-rich wine stacked in the corner was quickly reduced, and the empty jars were piled up like a small mountain...
