Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 163 The Emperor's Decree

As the end of the year approaches, the cold wind howls, frost forms on the branches of trees, and there are fewer and fewer people on the streets of Chang'an City.

Tang Dynasty officials had all gone on holiday, and many taverns and shops were closed.

However, there were a few shops that were particularly busy, with people queuing outside them.

These shops are all government-owned shops, directly managed by the Ministry of Revenue, and all they sell is coal.

Recently, the people of Chang'an discovered that there were continuous convoys transporting coal from Chunming Gate to Chang'an City.

The price of these coals is fixed and not too high, and they are very durable. The middle class in Chang'an City can afford them.

Di Renjie and Gao Youdao were also queuing up to buy coal at this time.

Di Renjie rubbed his hands and asked, "Brother Gao, is this coal really dug from Hedong?"

Gao Youdao nodded and smiled, "Yes, one of the coal mines is near your hometown, Bingzhou."

Di Renjie sighed and said, "It's really a good thing, but it's a pity that the people in the south of the city probably can't afford it."

Gao Youdao said, "His Majesty has discussed this with us. He said that currently the coal industry is managed by the government, so the production is low. In the future, the people will be allowed to operate privately, and the production will increase."

Di Renjie was stunned and asked, "Is there so much coal to dig?"

Gao Youdao said, "I heard from His Majesty that there are a lot of coal mines in the Yanran Protectorate. When he appointed General Xue as the governor of the Yanran Protectorate, he asked General Xue to look for coal mines."

The Yanran Protectorate was the territory of the Tiele people, located on the grassland northwest of Bingzhou.

Di Renjie said, "That's too far. I'm afraid it won't be easy to transport."

Gao Youdao smiled and said, "His Majesty said that once the mineral resources in Yanran Protectorate are discovered, private ownership will be allowed. Merchants will flock to the area, and it will also boost commercial development in that grassland area!"

Di Renjie thought for a moment and said, "It's indeed a good idea. However, the Tiele people might not be very happy with it, so we need to be on guard."

Gao Youdao said with a smile: "Runpo has always been subservient to our Tang Dynasty. Moreover, with General Xue in charge, even if the Tiele people are dissatisfied, they will not be able to cause any trouble."

Di Renjie nodded.

After a while, there were two people in the queue. Di Renjie bought ten kilograms and Gao Youdao bought five kilograms.

When the two of them were returning home, Di Renjie suddenly glanced around and said with a smile, "Why haven't I seen that young lady who's been following you lately?"

Gao Youdao hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Maybe he found it boring and went home."

Di Renjie stared at Gao Youdao and said, "Brother Gao, don't blame me for not reminding you. Every year at the end of the year, there is an increase in cases in Chang'an City. Could that young lady be..."

Gao Youdao's face changed drastically and he handed the coal in his hand to Di Renjie.

"Brother Di, please take the coal back to Bodhi Temple for me and leave it outside the house."

He turned around and left quickly.

Di Renjie shouted from afar, "The security in the Qingfeng Tower area has been a bit bad lately. You can go there and take a look."

Gao Youdao didn't say anything, but changed direction and ran towards Qingfeng Tower in the north.

Like the coal shop, Qingfeng Tower did not close at the end of the year, and the same was true for Chunfeng Tower across the street.

Although it is the end of the year, not everyone is happy. There are also many frustrated people sitting in Qingfeng Tower drinking and getting drunk.

Du Fu is one of them.

He was already completely drunk, lying on the table, gurgling and shouting: "Wine, I want more wine!"

Every time he shouted, Du Rong, who was sitting opposite him, would pour him a glass of wine.

Ever since the Du family fell into decline, Du Fu had been obsessed with revenge on Du Zhenglun, and even sought out the hunter Jinlang.

However, when the other party heard that the person to be killed was a fourth-rank official, no one was willing to accept the order.

Later, Du Fu went to find many aristocratic families and factions, especially those who had grudges against Du Zhenglun.

However, those families did not regard him as an important person at all, did not let him in, and even sent their servants to beat him up.

When Du Fu was thinking about revenge, he came to his senses and found that the remaining property of his family had unknowingly become someone else's.

Even the Du Mansion's house was bought by the Jiangnan Lu family.

The person who sold the house was a cousin of Du Fu. He stole the title deed and signed a contract with the other party in black and white, so the government had no control over it.

In just over half a year, the Du family was completely defeated.

Du Fu suffered a huge mental blow and was unable to recover. He spent all day in Qingfeng Tower drinking to drown his sorrows and escape reality.

Du Rong used the jewelry she sold to buy him money for his drinking.

Du Rong poured wine for Du Fu while staring into space, thinking about her own thoughts. The waiter passed by her and said with a smile, "Young lady, please help your brother go back home quickly. Let him study hard. Maybe he can become the next Mr. Gao next year."

Du Rong was stunned and asked, "What Mr. Gao?"

The waiter smiled and said, "To be honest, around this time last year, there was a Mr. Gao who often came to our inn to get drunk. Later, he was persuaded by his friends to take the imperial examination and actually won first place. Isn't that incredible?"

Du Rong twirled her fingers and asked in surprise, "Are you talking about Gao Youdao?"

The shop assistant said happily, "Have you also heard of Mr. Gao's name?"

Du Rong lowered her head and asked, "Has he ever gotten drunk here before?"

The shop assistant said, "He's even better than your brother. He's been drinking in our shop for more than three years, and he even managed to win the top prize. It's a miracle!"

Du Rong turned pale and remained silent.

At this moment, the shop assistant exclaimed, "Oh! Mr. Gao, you came at the right time! We were just talking about you!"

Du Rong suddenly raised her head and saw a man walking in from outside the store. It was Gao Youdao.

"You, you..." She didn't know what to say for a moment.

Gao Youdao walked up to her, glanced at the drunk Du Fu, and then looked at her.

"You haven't been watching me lately. I thought something happened to you."

Du Rong blushed slightly and asked, "Why do you care about me so much?"

Gao Youdao sighed and said, "You are just a young lady, and after going through something like that, I'm afraid you won't be able to get over it."

Du Rong bit her lip and said, "Are you feeling sorry for me?"

Gao Youdao didn't answer directly, but asked: "Your mother is a princess, and you can obviously live a comfortable life, why do you follow Du Fu?"

Du Rong said quietly, "She doesn't want me to disturb her life, so why should I bother her?"

Gao Youdao was stunned for a moment, then said softly, "Tell your brother that the Sage has issued a decree to restore the Du family's eligibility to take the imperial examinations. If he still has ambition, let him take the exam next year!"

Du Rong looked up at him and asked, "Why did the Saint suddenly issue such an order? Did you ask for mercy?"

Gao Youdao shook his head and said, "No, it was Yu Zhining who petitioned for mercy. The Sage punished the Du family severely in order to intimidate the nobles. Now that times have changed, the nobles are all very docile, so reversing the order is normal."

Du Rong glanced at Du Fu and said, "I'll tell my brother. Thank you for telling me."

Gao Youdao stood there for a while, but couldn't find anything to say, so he said, "Then I'll be leaving. If you need any help, you can come to me."

Du Rong stared at his departing back, lost in thought. She seemed not to hear Du Fu calling for a drink.

After leaving the restaurant, Gao Youdao returned all the way to the temple. When he arrived at the door, he saw a man standing outside the house waiting for him, carrying a bag of coal.

"Mingyu, why are you here?" The person who came was Zheng Mingyu.

"I'm here to ask you for advice. By the way, this is what Di Shaoqing asked me to pass on to you." Zheng Mingyu smiled and handed over the coal.

Gao Youdao took the coal, opened the door, and invited him in. While tidying up the house, he said with a smile, "It's the end of the year now. You're working so hard, aren't you planning on taking the imperial examination next year?"

Zheng Mingyu blinked and said, "Mr. Gao guessed it right. I'm going to take the imperial examination next year."

Gao Youdao was stunned for a moment and said, "This is strange. You said before that you would rather die than take the imperial examination. How did you change so quickly?"

Zheng Mingyu blushed and said a little embarrassedly, "Sister promised me that as long as I passed the imperial examination, she would let me marry the Lu family's sister."

Gao Youdao knew that he had always liked the daughter of the Lu family, so he smiled and said, "Congratulations, Madam Lu, are you feeling better now?"

Zheng Mingyu said happily, "Why else would everyone say that Divine Doctor Sun is a god? Sister Lu saw Divine Doctor Sun and took the medicine he prescribed. In less than three months, she recovered!"

Gao Youdao smiled and said, "That's great."

Zheng Mingyu said seriously, "So I have to study hard now and pass the imperial examination next year so that I can marry Sister Lu."

Gao Youdao chuckled secretly and said, "Silly boy, even if you fail the imperial examination, the imperial concubine will agree to your marriage."

He guessed that Concubine Zheng had not expressed her attitude before because Madam Lu was in poor health. Now that she has recovered, she will not stop her.

In addition, the Lu family has recently been gaining popularity due to Lu Chengqing, while the Wang family is in decline.

The Zheng family of Xingyang naturally preferred to marry into the Lu family.

Gao Youdao and Lu Zhaolin are good friends, so he also hopes that Zheng Mingyu will marry the young lady from the Lu family.

One of them asked questions carefully, and the other explained patiently. Time quickly passed midnight, and then dawn rose. The two of them talked all night long.

(End of this chapter)