This is Lu Heng's first time to Wuyi Lane, and also his first time to Prince Ning's mansion.
What made him quite curious was that despite looking at the door outside Prince Ning's Mansion, it looked grand and domineering. However, after walking in, he realized that the inside was actually very simple.
Although there is also a back garden, garden rockery and the like, the layout is very natural. It is not as luxurious as the Liu Mansion that Lu Heng saw before.
Entering the mansion, there is a path paved with gravel. On both sides of the path are dense bamboo forests. At this time, under the drizzle, these green bamboos are particularly fresh.
Through the dense bamboo forest, there is a small pavilion vaguely visible. In the hazy mist, it looks like a fairyland. Moreover, in the bamboo forest, there are some twists and turns of water channels. Judging from the layout plan, it should be that Prince Ning and his friends
A place where we play games.
Along the way, the accompanying guard Zhan would whistle every time he passed a corner. Then, Lu Heng heard a subtle sound coming from the bamboo forest, but it quickly disappeared.
Seeing Lu Heng turn his head and look at himself doubtfully.
Guard Zhan smiled and explained: "Haha, they are just like me, they are the prince's personal soldiers, and they are usually here to protect the prince's safety!"
Lu Heng nodded and looked back at the bamboo forest he was walking through. He was very impressed by the concealment skills of these soldiers.
Following the winding path and walking through the dense bamboo forest, Prince Ning's mansion is right in front of you.
At this time, the door of the main room was open. From inside, the faint sounds of Prince Ning and others talking could be heard.
Lu Heng couldn't help but laugh a little when he heard the other person's voice.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Wenshan was also there.
Zhan Wewei knew that the relationship between the prince, Mr. Zhang and the scholar in front of him was extraordinary, so there was no routine reporting. He just cupped his fists and said goodbye to Lu Heng, then turned around and disappeared into the bamboo forest.
Lu Heng smiled and walked towards the inside.
In the room, the charcoal in the brazier was burning brightly, and the room was as warm as spring.
The furniture made of sandalwood and the golden silk and satin of the imperial family really showed the nobility of the palace. The silver teapot on the table looked very elegant.
Wu Ningyuan and Zhang Wenshan were sitting across from each other at the table, drinking tea and talking. However, it seemed that their topic was a bit heavy, and both of them looked frowning.
The two ended their conversation when they heard footsteps coming from outside the door.
I glanced outside the door and saw a scholar wearing a light blue gown walking leisurely through the drizzle in the bamboo forest, holding an oil-paper umbrella.
"Haha, Yongzheng is here! I have been waiting for you for a long time!" Wu Ningyuan stood up and said to Lu Heng with a smile after seeing that the person coming was Lu Heng.
"Come in quickly! It's very humid outside!" Zhang Wenshan also stood up, stroking his beard, and said to Lu Heng with a smile.
After welcoming Lu Heng into the room, Wu Ningyuan asked Lu Heng to sit down and filled him with a cup of tea.
The three of them drank tea and continued the conversation between the two old men.
"It's raining like this, hey! I'm afraid the Yangtze River Guard won't be able to bear it if it continues like this!" Zhang Wenshan held the tea cup and looked at the rain falling outside, and sighed. His brows were full of worry.
"It seems that we can only mobilize the people along the Yangtze River to build dams!" Wu Ningyuan frowned and thought for a moment, then said in a deep voice: "Once the Yangtze River bursts, the consequences will be disastrous!"
Zhang Wenshan shook his head, put down his tea cup, and sighed: "The imperial court has been fighting for years, and the taxes are extremely heavy. The people are already miserable. If we add more corvee labor, I'm afraid it will trigger a civil uprising!"
Wu Ningyuan also knew this, but after all, he was born in an imperial family, and the status he was born in also determined that he had a higher position and a more comprehensive view on certain things. In his opinion, if in
If he had to choose between sacrificing a small number of people and preserving the Jiangnan granary, he could only choose the more important of the two!
He sighed, with a stern look on his face. He said in a deep voice: "There is nothing we can do about this. If the Yangtze River embankment breaks, thousands of fertile fields in the south of the Yangtze River will turn into a vast ocean. By then, the south of the Yangtze River will be affected. The whole country will be affected.
There will definitely be starvation and death all over the place. By then, it will not just be a civil uprising in one place!"
On the side, Lu Heng was holding a teacup and quietly tasting the tea. Listening to the conversation of the two old men, his eyes were calm, and occasionally his expression would move, but he soon returned to calm. I don't know what he was thinking in his mind.
After hearing what Wu Ningyuan said, Zhang Wenshan had a bitter look on his face. He sighed and did not refute Wu Ningyuan's words.
In fact, he knew very well in his heart that Wu Ningyuan's approach was understandable. However, the choice between choices was indeed difficult to let go.
On one side are the common people in the south of the Yangtze River. On the other side are the stability of the Zhou Dynasty. On the other side are some people, and on the other side are the entire country.
As an official of the Great Zhou Dynasty, no matter which aspect he wanted to give up, it was difficult for him to make a decision.
After saying this, the two of them fell into silence.
On the table, the steam of hot tea rose up, and the atmosphere seemed a bit depressing.
Wu Ning was leaning far away on his chair, with his eyes closed and his gray brows furrowed tightly. His heart was as dark and heavy as the weather in Jiangning.
One of his hands was pressed on the table. Under his hand was a letter covered with gold paint. From the golden dragon pattern on the envelope, it could be seen that this letter seemed to come from the Tokyo Imperial Palace.
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After seeing the envelope clearly, Lu Heng wisely chose to pretend to be silent. He lowered his head and blew on the tea leaves floating on the water in the tea bowl.
Seeing the tea leaves swirling on the paper and spinning back and forth around the tea cup, Lu Heng forgot where he was now. For a while, he was having a great time.
The sound of breathing naturally affected the two old men who were meditating.
Wu Ningyuan opened his eyes and glanced at the scholar in front of him who had not had plastic surgery. When he saw that he was playing with tea leaves, black lines suddenly appeared on his wrinkled forehead.
"Hey, Yongzheng, do you have any good ideas?"
Prince Ning finally understood in his heart, if you don't ask Lu Heng, don't expect him to take the initiative to give you advice. If you don't ask, this little naughty guy might be able to play for a day.
The reason why he invited Lu Heng over today was actually for this matter.
In the past, I often heard Lu Heng say something that seemed wild and uninhibited, but in retrospect afterwards, I benefited a lot. Therefore, Prince Ning and Zhang Wenshan specially moved Lu Heng here today to hear his opinion.
Unexpectedly, this kid is very slippery. If he doesn't say anything, he just ignores it.
Lu Heng looked at the helpless expressions of the two old men and smiled faintly. After putting down the tea cup in his hand, he nodded and said, "Actually, I was thinking about something just now. Since Mr. Ning Yuan and Mr. Zhang asked about it, I will tell you.
Bar!"
Such a cheerful reply made Ning Yuangong and Zhang Wenshan a little surprised.
It seems that Lu Heng is not like this on weekdays. Unless there is a hurdle that he cannot get over, he will say something out of desperation. This is strange today.
Seeing Duke Ning Yuan and Zhang Wenshan looking at him in confusion, Lu Heng smiled faintly, sighed, shook his head helplessly and said, "Oh, you two think I am different today than before?"
The two old men nodded at the same time.
Lu Heng put away the smile on his face, with a helpless wry smile on his face, and knocked gently on the table. Finally, he spread his hands and said with a wry smile: "Because, I am also one of the people of Jiangnan!
"
"What Mr. Ning Yuan just said about corvee is indeed understandable. However, as the elder said, the people in Jiangnan are already overwhelmed by heavy taxes. If more corvée is added at this time, it will inevitably trigger a civil uprising.
When the turmoil in the south of the Yangtze River comes, I will naturally be affected." Lu Heng smiled faintly, turned to look at Ning Yuangong and Zhang Wenshan, and said with a wry smile: "Since it concerns my family, I can't be indifferent anymore!"
Seeing the apologies on the faces of Ning Yuangong and Zhang Wenshan, Lu Heng smiled and waved his hands in understanding: "Okay, I just thought of some things to pay attention to. It should be useful. Why don't you two listen?"
"All ears!"
Seeing Lu Heng's serious face, the two old men looked at each other and saw surprise in each other's eyes. After that, the two of them clasped their fists together and said to Lu Heng in a deep voice.
Although Yong Zheng always looks calm and indifferent on weekdays, as if he doesn't care about anything, Wu Ningyuan and Zhang Wenshan both know that as long as he is serious, something wonderful will happen.
of.
Lu Heng nodded slightly. He stood up and took down an antique abacus from the bookshelf. After placing it on the table, he flicked the beads with both hands and moved them back to the distance. He raised his head and watched the two people speak.
Asked: "It's mid-May now. From now on, if we want to repair the embankments when the Yangtze River flood peak comes in July and recruit people, how many people will be needed at least?"
"At least five hundred thousand!" Zhang Wenshan once served as an official in Liangjiang, so he naturally knew about this kind of thing. When Lu Heng asked about it, he said it without hesitation.
"Okay, half a million people, and they must be strong men. In this case, it is possible to complete this huge project in less than three months. I am right!" The calculation in Lu Heng's hand paused for a moment.
After a while, he raised his head and looked at the two old men who were listening to him attentively, and asked with a smile.
After seeing the two old men look at each other, they nodded silently. Lu Heng hummed and continued to calculate the account. The crackling sound of the abacus was particularly clear in this quiet little house: "In this case, it is equivalent to the entire Jiangnan."
, there are at least two million people who have been drafted into corvees, right!" Lu Heng was making calculations, flicking the beads quickly in his hand, raised his head and glanced at Zhang Wenshan and said.
"Why so many?" Wu Ningyuan frowned, looked at Lu Heng who looked serious, then turned to Zhang Wenshan and said.
"Yes, these strong men are the labor force of every family. If they are drafted, their whole family will definitely be affected! Yongzheng said two million people, but in fact, it is still a conservative number. The actual situation is
Far more than this number!" Zhang Wenshan smiled bitterly and nodded, which is why he was unwilling to mobilize the people to build and raise funds.
"Okay, let's not talk about the 1.5 million people affected. Let's just talk about the 500,000 strong men. If these 500,000 strong men go to build embankments, hundreds of miles of embankments will be repaired in three months.
, they naturally have to stay along the Yangtze River for a long time and cannot go home. Then their farmland farming will inevitably be abandoned. We will calculate it based on each family's five acres of thin farmland and a harvest of five hundred catties per acres. The five hundred thousand strong men will be divided
, in three months, we have to give up 1.25 billion kilograms of grain! This is food that I, the Northern Zhou Dynasty, cannot buy in ten years. Haha, if it is placed in the army, it will take a full thirty years.
Food and salary!" Lu Heng stopped his calculations, raised his head and looked at the two old men with very complicated expressions, and said with a faint smile.
Then, seeing the two old men with shocked faces, he shook his head and smiled, pushing the abacus away. He picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and said with a smile: "Of course, this is just a clear account. Saying this is not
There is no other intention. I just want to let you two understand how much damage we will suffer if we start collecting corvee!"
Seeing the two old men with wry smiles on their faces, shaking their heads and sighing, Lu Heng smiled, cleared his throat, tapped his fingers gently on the table and said, "Haha, since both of you understand the seriousness of this number. Then