Jian An Kee

Note 1: Shao Fuqing is in charge of internal affairs and finance, so there is this saying.

Note 2: Yin Lihua, the second queen of Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, is famous for her virtuous conduct.

When Sun Li grew up to be six months old, it was the hottest season in Wu County.He had prickly heat and was crying restlessly all day long. I tried to comfort him, but it was conceivable that he only cried even more sadly in my arms.Fortunately, by chance, after Le Ling tried to coax her a few times, he seemed to like this slender and lovely girl, and he was able to listen to her and stop crying, and grinned with a mouth that only had one tooth.

In the north, Cao Jun and Wu Jun fought against each other for three months, and finally returned home in despair because they didn't take advantage of it.

Sun Quan has been tempered for a while.In order to resist the huge consumption of Cao Jun's military supplies, coupled with the hot weather and the prevalence of epidemics, the treasury's money was naturally stretched, which delayed the project of supervising the construction of Jianye New City for a while.

I don't know which grandson in his shogunate gave a bad idea: when the rice is harvested this autumn, every commoner in Wu County will be charged a "city tax" Liuyi (one-sixth) per head.

Enthusiastic Liu Ji heard about this and came to ask me to intercede with the people.

I personally served him a bowl of iced sour plum soup, sat across from him, and said sincerely: "Jingyu, since the new city is built, the tax increase is inevitable, and everyone can survive this winter. The city will be repaired next year. , Don’t the common people also enjoy the benefits? Maybe the peasants who will participate in the construction of the new city in the next two years will be exempted from corvee.”

"Where did Miss Zhou hear the news about exempting from corvee?" Mr. Liu's eyes brightened.

Of course I made up nonsense, what else can I do?By the way, I did hear Sun Quan talk about corvee with his staff, but it was to increase the corvee for one month in Danyang County, which had just suppressed the rebellion, to imitate others, ahem.

I said vaguely, "This...hasn't come out and said it officially, but don't you understand General Sun's temperament? I can't get in the way."

The 20-year-old Liu Ji inherited his father's upright character. Although his request easily touched Sun Quan Nilin, his concern for the country and the people undoubtedly moved me: "Even if the situation is true, I only hope that when collecting taxes, the tax collectors can be supervised to reduce corruption, so that the burden on the people of the six counties can be eased."

I put on my dressing tape and saluted him: "Then I accept your request."

He stood up and bowed to the end: "Then, here on behalf of the common people, I thank you in advance."

"You're too polite." I also nodded.

I sent him to the door. On the way, he frowned frequently, and finally said in a low voice: "There is one thing, I think it may be hearsay, whether Miss Zhou's engagement with General Sun... Uh, of course, these are just nonsense! Forgive me for your rudeness."

After saying this sentence, his face flushed with embarrassment, his eyes fixed on his toes and he dared not look at me.

I cut off his following words: "Mr. Liu, your question involves a very complicated situation. I think it will be clear after a while."

After Liu Ji was sent away, I came to the garden and leaned on the railing to look from afar in great melancholy.It's clearly the rhythm of the whole people's gossip, and I don't know where he heard the unfavorable wind.

Speaking of gossip, in fact, this guy and Mr.'s family still have a bit of enmity, which is nothing compared to the enmity between the Gan and Ling families who killed their fathers, but——Mr. He was killed by rebels, and his head was sent to Liu Ji's father Liu Yao.If it weren't for this incident, the husband wouldn't need to work on the long acres.Fortunately, in the past few years, the Zhuge family and the Liu family have not had any quarrels, so they are living in peace.

To be honest, his request was too embarrassing for me. To accomplish this matter would undoubtedly risk breaking Sun Quan's bottom line.I have repeatedly mentioned before that Sun Quan is most disgusted with people who pretend to be good for him and actually seek personal gain for themselves.

After much deliberation, I decided to take the risk: Liu Ji is a good boy, and his request was based on the best intentions, and he has helped me a lot as a friend in the past two years.Seriously counting favors, I owe him at least ten meals.

When the end of August came, Sun Quan decided to go to the fields to inspect the harvest in person, and I clamored to join him.

"You're better, so what's the trouble?" He refused me to go with him.

"Then I don't want to be said that I don't work hard and don't know the five grains."

He had a funny face on his face: "Who dares to say such things indiscriminately? Besides, it's normal for you, Miss Zhou, to be inactive."

I put on the posture of Tai Chi Bagua Youlongzhang, and said boldly: "I don't want to be a young lady who doesn't go out of the door, I want to be a hero who runs wild in the village!"

"Where did you get those strange ideas... Go ahead, don't be tired." He rubbed my hair.

Going to the countryside to investigate this kind of activities is really training people.Even with the big canopy as shade, the heat from the earth still flushed the cheeks and soaked the hand towel to wipe off the sweat.

Sun Quan was in a worse situation than me. He needed to stand in the fields and harvest rice with the farmers.Fortunately, his harvesting skills are not bad, and he harvested a large basket in just one stick of incense.

Then he invited the three elders in the village, the miser, Youjiao, etc. who are quite popular, as well as the elderly over 60 years old to participate in the dinner on the shore of Zhenze Lake.

It is often recorded in history books that the emperor and the kings of various fiefdoms distributed and rewarded meat to the common people during festivals.As the saying goes, "the widows, the widows, the lonely, the disabled and the sick all have support", which is one of the necessary cutscenes for the ruler to increase his prestige.The extras it selects must also be carefully selected to ensure that there will be no chaos on the scene.

Sun Quan did a lot of tricks. At the end of the banquet, he announced the tax increase resolution, which was supported by the "representatives".

After the banquet, we drove back to the residence, and Sun Quan sat with me.In the carriage, I grinningly applied the prepared hot spring mineral mud to his face, in the euphemistic name of nourishing the skin and prolonging life.

He pretended to be frightened: "Ma'am, don't make fun of me..."

"Are Zhong Mou shy?" I leaned next to him.

I always call him General Sun, occasionally I call him by his name when I lose my temper, and rarely call him by his name, every time I hear it, it is "Dragon Heart Joy", and I can't say anything about all kinds of weird requests from me. agree to come down.

Before returning to the mansion, I cleanly removed the mud from his face and waited for him to comb his hair again.

In the swaying carriage, he carefully examined every movement of me through the bronze mirror, and I blushed a little: "What is the general doing all the time looking at me, is there mud on my face?"

He smiled and held my hand: "Where are you going, I just think you are more virtuous."

I smoothly combed the ivory into my hair, and tied the hair crown for him: "Hehehehe, what do you call it, I have always been virtuous."

"Ouch! Take it easy." His face tightened, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

Seeing that the atmosphere was very good, I took the opportunity to say: "What I saw today, look, that old man who is very old looks very energetic."

"Well, you noticed it too? I still think of you—" He pulled my skirt and rubbed my cheek affectionately: "I kept eating this and that, and I even pinched a bunch of wild flowers in my hand."

I stuck out my tongue: "I was discovered by you. Well, what kind of tax did you say the June [-]st tax is?"

"Have you heard that too?" He looked at me strangely: "Is Alan really going to be an orphaned young minister (Note 1)..."

"Why not?" I let him help me out of the carriage, and a row of maids in front led the way with lanterns. I raised my head and smiled at him: "Is it because I can't be Yin Lihua (Note 2)?"

He originally took my arm and walked casually, but when the three words "Yin Lihua" appeared, he suddenly stopped.I can clearly see the joy spreading from his face: "Alan, you have good ambitions."

"So, it's God's will that I accidentally heard this city construction tax. I hope that the increase in taxes will not make the winter of the people difficult."

"Don't worry about such things. The rice tax required for building the city is just a part of the autumn harvest, and it will not have a great impact on the upcoming winter grain. Besides, next spring, I will order each county to distribute the grain seeds needed for spring to hands of the peasants."

"The decree sounds very good, but if someone enriches their own pockets, it's too bad."

"It's hard for you to think of this level. Then, I will order my competent officials to handle this matter."

I clapped my hands happily: "A wise decision, aha."

"It's childish." He looked at me lovingly, with tenderness in his eyes.As everyone knows, my heart is beating up and down, and finally, everything is going well.

We came to Sun Li's residence together.He hugged the baby and kissed tenderly, the warm yellow light of the palace lantern outlined his cheeks.

I touched the baby's cheek happily and said to the father: "He grows up more and more like you."

"He will be a handsome man in the future, huh?" He raised the child over his head, the little guy chewed his fist with relish, and drooled a lot.

"Strange, why do you always drool." I looked at him and wiped the glistening saliva from the corner of his mouth.

Sun Quan laughed loudly: "The little guy must like to bite people if he wants to grow teeth."

He held Sun Li in his arms again, grabbed his chubby hand and greeted me: "Son, your mother is here, see?"

I laughed and laughed: "Baby, your father is too impatient. He wants to teach you how to speak so early."

"Then what's the matter." He said solemnly, "My son will be smarter than other people's sons."

I said disdainfully: "You are trying to encourage the growth of seedlings. That's what the little friend Sun Deng taught you."

He handed the baby to the nurse, looking thoughtful, and after a while he asked me: "Have you seen Denger?"

I raised my eyes and thought for a while: "Once, at the New Year's banquet last year, he ate white-breasted chicken at Guotai's place, and I saw him that time."

He probably thought of some embarrassing question: "My mother insisted that Deng'er be brought to that Xu Wan, oh, it's my cousin."

"That's good, I don't have the ability to manage children well."

He was very disdainful: "You can't even manage your own affairs well, I still count on you."

I sneaked a peek at him in embarrassment.

"The main reason is that Xu Wan has a bad temper since she was a child, and she was spoiled and impatient... Forget it, let's talk to my mother again when I go back." He said to himself.

"Oh." I was like a chicken pecking at rice, determined to keep wise silence on all matters involving his eldest son.

"Oh what, that's all right, come back to the house with me."

"Aren't you going back to the official office today?"

He said seriously, "I'll show you something."

I naturally went to his study as told.Usually when he is not in the house, I often go in and out of his study, but I only rummage through some strange novels on his bookshelf.

His collection of books is very miscellaneous, and he can always find all kinds of ironic things from it, such as "Everything Can Be Known", which is dedicated to sophistry skills; for example, "The Analects of Confucius" is a counterfeit written by others under the name of Confucius; For example, the collection of miscellaneous essays written by the famous Zheng Xuan, as well as "Seven Politics of Astronomy", "Theory of the Rites of Lu", "Theory of the Six Arts", "Mao Shipu", "Refuting the Different Meanings of Xu Shen's Five Classics", "Responding to Linxiao It's Difficult to Save Weekly Rituals" and so on.

Sun Quan took my hand to the bookshelf. I thought he was going to point me to a new weird book on the market, but he reached behind the bookshelf and fished out a rare crystal glass bottle.This bottle is probably imported, and it contains more than half of the purple-red liquid.

Here he ordered the maid to find a set of celadon cups produced in Shangyu and put them on.

I touched the crystal clear bottle lovingly, and asked casually, "What kind of wine is this?"