Chapter 389 Pretend
Su Qingqing was so stunned by his shouting.
This person had no connection with her at all, not in her past life or now.
This crying posture when meeting...
Su Qingqing twitched her eyes, and just as she was about to step forward to lend a helping hand, she stopped and simply took a step back and sat on the chair next to her.
When Jixiang saw Su Qingqing's attitude, he understood what her master meant, so he stood behind Su Qingqing and poured a cup of tea for her master.
"Such a big incident has happened. As the prefect of Yulin , I should have done my best to help the court overcome the difficulties. But I am incompetent. Everyone says that there is no shortage of food in the northwest. The eight old noble families of the court are all gathered here. This is a Feng Shui treasure land.
If you are not the head of a family, you will not know the hardships of a family.
Your Majesty, you don't know that our place is home to many shops owned by the eight great families. However, all these people have backers. Behind them are old aristocratic families with deep roots. A mere prefect like me cannot afford to offend them.
Since the floods in Guangdong and Guangxi, food shortages have occurred in various places. I have called for donations several times, but I have no status. People look down on me. I can't even donate a grain of rice."
As he spoke, he rummaged around and pulled out a ledger and handed it forward.
"Your Majesty, please be wise. I feel very aggrieved. I am a local official who receives a salary from the imperial court, but I have no appeal among the local people. I feel incompetent.
This account book shows the expenses of Yulin government office in the past three years. I, a guilty minister, really did not spend a single extra penny from the court. All the money was spent on the right things.
In Yulin’s industrial and political construction, I am always at the forefront every year.”
He cried and howled, and Su Qingqing realized that he was here to pass on the blame.
I casually flipped through the account book and found that the accounts were very clear, but there was an interesting point, that is, Yulin's largest expenditure every year was road construction.
Repair the roads in Yulin city.
The expenditure on this road is also very interesting. It was repaired this year, dredged next year, and repaired again the year after. Anyway, there is work to do every year. In the eyes of ordinary people, these are the places where money is actually spent.
Su Qingqing snorted in her heart and said nothing more. She threw the account book on the table beside her and just watched the performance of the Yulin prefect in silence.
His gray hair trembled as he said, "Ever since I knew Your Majesty was coming to Yulin to solve the food problem, I have been so happy that I couldn't sleep. Your Majesty, rest assured, I will do my best to cooperate with you. I am not afraid that you will not believe me. I will tell you from the bottom of my heart that I am more eager than you to solve the food problem as soon as possible."
He just kept talking to himself, crying, shaking, and shouting.
Perhaps sensing Su Qingqing's lack of response, Mu Chuan, the commander of the Northwest Garrison standing next to him, coughed and said, "Sir, calm down. You're scaring the queen."
The prefect of Yulin finally realized that his behavior was inappropriate. He stopped crying and kowtowed to Su Qingqing while wiping his tears. "I hope your Majesty will forgive my recklessness . I am really ashamed, but I am also very anxious and uncomfortable in my heart."
Su Qingqing set her sights on Mu Chuan.
Mu Chuan immediately clasped his fists and said, "I am far away in the northwest. Your Majesty ascended the throne and your Majesty was crowned the Queen. I cannot personally congratulate you and pay my respects. I wish your Majesty a long life and your Majesty a thousand years of health."
Su Qingqing smiled and said, "I have heard of General Mu's name for a long time and have always wanted to meet him. Today my wish has come true. General Mu really has the demeanor of a great general."
"I am deeply ashamed of your kindness. Your Majesty, you are here to transfer grain to the Northwest. I will do my best to cooperate with you. The entire Northwest Army is at your disposal."
Don't hit someone who smiles at you.
Su Qingqing put down her teacup and said with a smile, "I'm sorry to bother you two. Let's sit down and talk."
Mu Chuan did not try to give in and sat down on the chair next to him. However, the prefect of Yulin grunted and pushed for the seat a few times, but sat down before Su Qingqing was about to say that if she really didn't want to sit, she could just stand.
Jixiang felt worried for him.
No wonder your hair is so white at this age. You must have grown up to be smart.
"What opinions or suggestions do you have on the food issue?" Su Qingqing got straight to the point. "I won't say any more nonsense. Time is running out. Let's skip the beating around the bush and get to the point."
Mu Chuan said, "To be honest, Your Majesty, ever since the news of the food shortage spread, the entire Northwest Army has been in a state of panic.
It is said that there is no shortage of food in the Northwest, but Your Majesty may not know that the harvest in the Northwest has not been good in the past three years.
This place is different from the south of the Yangtze River. This is a place where people depend on the weather for their livelihood. If God gives rain, they can have food and clothing without worries. If God does not give rain, it is possible that they will not get a single grain of harvest.
I have been leading the Northwest Army to reclaim wasteland and cultivate land in recent years in order to solve the food problem. Your Majesty must be aware that although military rations are dispatched by the court, they are often unsatisfactory when they arrive at the military district after being escorted through layers of transportation.
Because I have been farming for several years, I am quite familiar with the harvest in the northwest."
As he spoke, he handed over a form that he had already prepared.
“Your Majesty, please read this. I have not investigated the harvest of the people. This table records the harvest of the Northwest Army in the past three years. Compared with four or five years ago, the harvest can be said to have decreased by at least half.
The year before last, last year, and this year, for three consecutive years, there has not been enough rainfall in the northwest.
As the old saying goes, three years of drought followed by three years of flood, and these three years happened to be the years of drought.
The soil quality of the wasteland reclaimed by the Northwest Army is relatively good, and with the soldiers farming, there is sufficient labor force to barely get this harvest. I'm afraid ordinary people would not get as much as this.
In addition, Your Majesty must be aware that the vast majority of land in our northwest is not actually in the hands of the common people. The eight great aristocratic families have been enclosing large amounts of land here. The common people have to hand over the grain they grow to the imperial court as well as to the eight great aristocratic families. The harvest is not much to begin with, and even less is left in their own hands.
If your Majesty wants to collect grain from here and transport it to other places, it will be difficult ."
His words, combined with his form, express his true feelings and every word is sincere.
But there is also a meaning between the lines: Our Northwest Army has been relying on ourselves to survive these years, and we cannot receive any supplies from the court. You guys go away, we are self-sufficient and will not cause you any trouble, and you should not disturb our lives. It is best if we have nothing to do with each other.
Su Qingqing stared at the form for a long time, and suddenly smiled at Mu Chuan and said, "General Mu is right. The common people can't even get enough to eat, and they have to support the noble families who have enclosed land. There is no such thing in the world.
This time, I will try to find a way to get food from these noble families."
She just pretended not to understand what Mu Chuan meant between the lines.
