Pei Yuanfeng squatted in front of me, looked at my stubborn eyes, sighed long, as if he had given up, and then said, "Qingying, do you know why it would be so difficult for the imperial court to depose the untouchables in the south...?"

I was stunned for a moment, but I didn't expect that he would suddenly say this and subconsciously shook his head.

"In fact, the Emperor of Father has thought that not all the people in the court care about the lives and death of the people in the south. However, it is not that simple to depose this untouchable person, nor is it an imperial edict from the Emperor of Father. The court's words can be settled."

"Why, then?"

In fact, I have always had such doubts in my heart. Pei Yuanhao is not a narrow-minded emperor. His actions in Yangzhou when he went south were really respectful. Otherwise, Huang Tianba would not have taken the blame to help him fight for the throne. However, after he ascended the throne, the incident of untouchables in the south was not yet followed.

What is the secret of this?

Pei Yuanfeng looked at me and said slowly: "You must understand that since there are untouchables, then there will be nobles in the opposite direction."

Untouchables? Nobles?

My heart skipped a beat. These two different names made people feel troubled, and I seemed to feel something faintly.

Pei Yuanfeng said: "In fact, there was a reason for demoting the people of the three provinces of Jiangnan to untouchables, because untouchables had to bear taxes several times higher than other places, and Jiangnan was the richest place in the Central Plains. This tax was astonishingly high, but not much flowed into the national treasury."

I was surprised: "Where did you go?"

Pei Yuanfeng glanced at me, was silent for a moment, and said slowly: "Qingying, do you still remember where the royal family came from?"

"..." I opened my eyes wide and looked at him, and said in a dry voice: "Outside the pass."

"Yes, we came from outside the pass, and Shengjing is our hometown."

When Pei Yuanfeng said this, his dark sword eyebrows slightly frowned, and his childish face gradually faded, and he also felt a faint worry. He said, "At that time, the ancestor emperor went from Shengjing to the Central Plains to fight all the way to Jiangnan. Although he fought the battle, the people who supported the battle were actually the people who supported the battle. Otherwise, if there was a shortage of supply in such a long front, the entire Central Plains battlefield would be dragged down."

This is the first time I heard about the royal family going south, and I suddenly realized: "Have the taxes in Jiangnan all gone to Shengjing?"

"Yes." He nodded: "This is the transaction between the ancestor emperor and Shengjing. The three elders and four young men of Shengjing supported the battle. The spoils were the large amount of gold, silver, silk, spices and iron that the court had to send to Shengjing every year. These things could account for 30% of the national treasury income. Without the heavy taxes from Jiangnan, the court would not be able to support it."

It turns out that this is the real reason why the people in the three provinces of Jiangnan became untouchables.

The battle between the royal family entering the pass was actually a transaction, a transaction between the royal family and Shengjing. The taxes from the Central Plains were exchanged for the support of the war. Only in this way could the royal family take the entire Central Plains into account, and Jiangnan was the bargaining chip in this transaction.

It is no wonder that the royal family attached so much importance to the battle of Yangzhou, and even dispatched troops from Xichuan to massacre the city. If they did not take down Jiangnan, even if they really established a country, they would not be able to repay the lions in Shengjing.

I suddenly felt a little funny, but the bitterness in my heart made people want to cry.

Yangzhou massacres the city, blood staining the Central Plains, and putting the people of the three provinces in Jiangnan to restlessness. They have carried such a heavy burden for generations. All of this turned out to be a transaction, a pen that records history, can be so light.

It’s really “all things are straw dogs”!

I said, "So, this time I went south, is it related to the side of Katsuki?"

"Yes."

"...So, you left the capital and went to Qinghai before, but actually not to go to Qinghai, but to inquire about Shengjing?"

"Yes."

"Then, what's wrong with Sekikyo?"

Pei Yuanfeng was silent for a moment, looked at me and said slowly: "Qingying, do you know the prince——Do you know where my elder brother went after leaving the capital?"

My eyes widened: "He has returned to Shengjing?!"

Pei Yuanfeng nodded silently.

For a moment, my mind was messy, lying on the bench, panting slightly, thinking back and forth in my mind - Pei Yuanxiu, he has returned to Shengjing!

No wonder, no wonder after the battle for the throne in the capital, he and Empress Yin completely disappeared from the Central Plains, and there was no news about them again. But all the world is the king's land. Pei Yuanhao has ascended the throne to the throne, so how could he not find the whereabouts of an abolished prince!

Only Shengjing is where he can’t move!

No wonder, that time I saw a letter from Shengjing in the Imperial Study room, which was put together by him and the unhandled memorial from the South!

At that time, he had already found Pei Yuanxiu's whereabouts, but he was unable to take action!

I was still a little confused, but I could feel it faintly. I hurriedly grabbed his sleeve and asked, "Shengjing! Did that prince, have something happened to the south?"

Pei Yuanfeng nodded: "Although I haven't found out what happened, there is news that someone from Shengjing went south, and it seems that he has reached some agreement with a certain force in the south. But you know, some forces in the south have been fighting against the court. If Shengjing wants to reach an agreement with them, I'm afraid-"

A certain force in the south suddenly had that name in my heart - Changmingzong!

This is what Huang Tianba and the assassins mentioned, which is the power behind them, but how big this power is is unpredictable. A resurrection medicine shop has turned Yangzhou upside down, and it seems that this medicine shop is just a small branch of that sect.

Did the people from Shengjing go south to reach an agreement with Emperor Changmingzong?

I know that the wishes of that sect and Huang Tianba were contrary to their wishes. Their actions were so extreme and cruel. If they really reached an agreement with Shengjing, what kind of agreement would it be?

Thinking of this, a lump became between my eyebrows.

At this moment, a shadow suddenly appeared in front of me. Before I could come back to my senses, a warm big hand gently stroked my eyebrows, rubbed my eyebrows open, and looked down at Pei Yuanfeng.

"Qingying, don't worry about going south this time, okay?"

"Prince, tell me," I paused and said, "Who is the one who won the south of Beijing this time?"

"..." A strange fluctuation flashed across his face, and his eyelids slowly drooped. After a long time, he said: "I don't know if my elder brother is moving, but it seems that my elder sister-in-law has gone south."

I immediately understood.

No wonder, he kept asking me not to care about the affairs of the south anymore, no wonder, he just said that he didn't want to see me get hurt again. This time, the boat was so urgent that he didn't even have time to kowtow to the officials along the way to pay homage to the officials along the way. It turned out that the ship was not going well, but because it was being pulled.

Looking at his worried look, I smiled.

I slowly leaned back to the chair, and the pain in my chest never stopped, but over time, it seemed that it was not so unbearable. When everything recovered, I saw Pei Yuanfeng squatting in front of me, holding the chair with both hands and looking at me carefully, with a look of concern on his young face.

"Prince," I thought for a while and said, "I have another question to ask you."

"you say."

"Why do you—why are you willing to help the emperor when you stay in the court?"

Pei Yuanfeng's face shook slightly.

This is something I have always been a little confused about. Pei Yuanfeng is the child of Empress Yin. In terms of relatives and alienation, he is even closer to Pei Yuanxiu. However, after the battle for the throne, Pei Yuanhao ascended the throne, but he did not resist at all. Even after knowing the whereabouts of Empress Yin and Pei Yuanxiu this time, he actually came back and continued to assist Pei Yuanhao!

Seeing me looking at him solemnly, Pei Yuanfeng was silent for a while, suddenly smiled and said, "Qingying, maybe in your eyes, I have always been like a child, but in fact, I also have my own ambitions."

“…”

"I also hope that the untouchables in the south can be abolished, the Han people can be integrated with the people outside our pass, and the heaven and the north and south can be integrated. Only in this way can the Central Plains usher in a real prosperous era. I ride horses and fight bloody battlefields, not because I am wary, but because I have my own ambitions and ideals."

“…”

"Although I am more intimate with my mother, but the ambitions of the emperor are the same."

...

I looked at him foolishly, and was so shocked that I couldn't speak.

Maybe, it’s really because he has always been so straightforward in front of me that I forgot that he is actually the most brave and warlike general in the Celestial Empire, an ambitious and bloody man!

It turns out that he has the same ideals and ambitions as Pei Yuanhao!

It was only then that I remembered that the first time I met him was actually in Shangyang Palace!

Pei Yuanhao may not be a friendly brother, so Pei Yuanfeng is not enthusiastic about him, but the two have the same ambitions, which is why they did not abandon each other.

In the world of men, feelings may account for a very important part, but in addition to feelings, there are more and more important things that guide their lives, make them fight, struggle, and even go to tears without regrets!

My eyes were slightly red. Pei Yuanfeng looked at it and immediately said, "Qingying, are you angry with me?"

"What?"

"At that time, I actually treated you-"

Before he could finish his words, I smiled faintly, stopped him from continuing, and then said, "Prince, I'm not angry, I admire you!"

"What?"

"Only those who stick to their ambitions and ideals are real men. In my eyes, you are a man who stands tall and strong!"

He was stunned and looked at me with some joy.

I slowly looked into the distance again. Under the gradually darkening sky, the south was already near.
Chapter completed!