The Eternal Beauty of the City of Wealth

Zixuan looked at the ministers with amusement, who were stretching their necks, staring with their eyes, and arguing with red faces and thick necks.

I laughed secretly in my heart. It’s not bad to attend court. I can see this kind of scene from time to time. It’s really interesting, haha.

Zixuan slapped the table and shouted in mock anger: "Stop arguing! You guys keep quarreling in the court every other day. It's unbecoming!"

When the ministers saw that the king was angry, they gradually stopped talking and returned to their seats.

When Zixuan saw that everyone had stopped talking, he put on a dignified face and said to them, "My lords, I have already made up my mind about this matter."

"Why don't we all take a step back, so that the ladies and concubines in the harem don't have to be buried alive with the emperor."

"So the two hundred maids and guards given by the King of Qi can be buried with the late king."

"I hereby decree that the practice of burying people alive with their dead ancestors will be abolished from the time of the previous king. Anyone who dares to disobey this order will be executed!"

After hearing this, the ministers looked at each other, and after a moment, they all knelt on the ground and shouted in unison: "Your Majesty, we obey your command! Your Majesty, we obey your command!"

Zixuan raised his hand and looked into the crowd again: "Where is Doctor Yuan Huan?"

Yuan Huan hurried out of the class, bowed and replied, "I am here."

"This afternoon, you will arrange for a subordinate office to serve as the office of the Inspectorate."

Yuan Huan took his orders and left. After lunch, Zixuan brought the maids to the courtyard where the people buried alive were placed.

This courtyard in the harem was where the guards lived in the past. After the war to destroy the country, the guards were killed and this place became vacant.

There were several guards on both sides of the courtyard. When they saw Zixuan coming, they greeted him and then opened the gate.

"Then he shouted inside, 'The king has arrived! Come out and greet him!'"

The guards spoke for a long time, but these people who were buried with him did not come out to greet them immediately.

Zixuan looked at the people in the yard. He saw that some of the two hundred people buried with the dead were lying on the ground sighing, while others were sitting on the steps holding their heads and crying softly.

They were all staggering and had no spirit at all. Zixuan saw that no one saluted her, but she didn't get angry. She waved her hand and asked the guards to leave.

After the guards left, she slowly walked in front of everyone and said, "Everyone, I came here today because I have something important to tell you."

Everyone slowly raised their heads and looked at her with confused eyes.

"Today I want to ask you one question: do you want to live or die?"

A guard looked at Zixuan with a strange look: "How can you say you want to die? How can you say you want to live?"

"If you wish to die, you will be buried with the late king. If you wish to live, I will bury you and then immediately enter the tomb to bring you out."

"But I have one condition. From now on, you are not allowed to return to Qi. You must be loyal to Dalai and to me!"

After hearing this, everyone slowly sat up straight and asked in disbelief, "Your Majesty, are you serious?"

Zixuan nodded heavily: "Seriously, I'm not lying!"

After hearing this, everyone immediately crawled towards her happily: "Your Majesty, if we are not dead, we will swear allegiance to Dalai and Your Majesty until our death. Thank you for saving our lives!"

After everyone finished speaking, they all kowtowed to Zixuan excitedly. Well, Zixuan nodded in satisfaction.

The next morning, in the main hall of Wu Palace in Linzi Wangcheng, the capital of Qi.

Duke Ling of Qi glanced at the ministers in the hall and said slowly, "My lords, today I received a memorial from Guicheng. I will have the eunuch read the contents to you."

After he finished speaking, he waved to the eunuch beside him.

The eunuch agreed, opened the bamboo slips, and slowly read: "Your Majesty, I, Zixuan, the Lord of Guicheng, pay my respects to my Lord, His Majesty the King of Qi."

"In recent days, the coastal areas of Guicheng have been repeatedly harassed by Japanese pirates and other groups."

"They have robbed our people of their property and killed them. I have sent troops to suppress them many times, but with little success."

"To ensure the eternal well-being of the people of Great Qi, I have decided to build a ring of walls and moats around the coastal area of ​​Guicheng."

"It not only protects the safety of the people in our city, but also alleviates the damage caused to the people by floods, droughts and other disasters."

"The manpower and financial resources for the construction project will be provided by the city lord and the people of Guicheng."

"If this city is repaired, it will bring a hundred benefits to our Great Qi. I hope the king will have mercy on the people who have returned to the city and grant my request."

"If the city wall is repaired, the people who return to the city will surely express gratitude to my lord. Your servant, Zixuan, kowtows!"

After the eunuch finished reading, silence fell in the hall. Everyone stroked their beards and slowly pondered the contents of the memorial.

Seeing no one spoke, Duke Ling of Qi coughed lightly and said, "My Lords, the memorial has been read. What are your opinions?"

At this time, the official Shu Yi came out and said, "Your Majesty, if we follow the memorial, building a wall and a moat around Guicheng will be a great benefit to Qi."

"However, there are also some hidden dangers. If Princess Xuan also builds a wall along the border between Guicheng and Qi, it may be detrimental to the management of Guicheng in the future."

Duke Ling of Qi listened, twirling his beard, but remained silent. He turned to the other ministers. "What are your thoughts?"

The doctor Cui Zhu also came out and said, "I also agree with the uncle's opinion. In my opinion, the memorial should be rejected and not approved, so as not to nurture a tiger that will cause trouble."

"Your Majesty, Shu Diao seconded the motion, and we, the others, also seconded it!"

Immediately, half of the ministers chimed in. Duke Ling of Qi turned to look at Yan Ruo and asked, "What is the Grand Commandant's opinion?"

Taiwei Yanruo stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, it is a blessing for Great Qi that Princess Xuan possesses such great talents."

"Now, the land of Lai is part of the territory of our Great Qi, and the people of Lai are also the people of Qi."

"Guicheng is surrounded by the sea on three sides. If it is harassed by Japanese pirates and thieves year after year, our Qi State will not stand idly by."

"Now, Princess Xuan has resolved the issue of building the city wall on her own, without asking the court for money or other supplies. Our Great Qi should encourage and reward her."

"I suggest that the king issue an imperial decree to allow the construction of walls only in areas surrounded by the sea on three sides, and not on the border between Guicheng and Qi."

"And urge Zhang Zui and Zhang Bukai to keep a close eye on Zixuan. If they discover he has any ill intentions, report it immediately!"

Well, after listening to Yan Ruo's words, Duke Ling of Qi nodded repeatedly with satisfaction: "The one who understands me is Yan Ruo."

So Duke Ling of Qi ordered the drafting of an imperial edict.

The King of Qi issued an edict: "Zi Xuan, the lord of Guicheng, is a man of wisdom, great ambition, and compassion for the suffering of the people. He is worthy of my trust."

"You are allowed to return to the city and build the city walls along the three coastal areas, but not along the border with Great Qi."

"I hope you will continue to work hard and manage Guicheng well, so that the people within the fiefdom can live and work in peace and contentment for a long time... I hereby decree."

After hearing this, all the ministers knelt down and shouted, "Your Majesty is wise! Your Majesty is wise!"

Duke Ling of Qi stroked his beard with a smile and nodded with satisfaction.