usatvline Chapter 333 Tang Xian Reports on His Duties
Chapter 333 Tang Xian Reports on His Duties
"Your Majesty, Aunt Rongxiu has arrived first with the Fifth Miss, the Seventh Miss, and the Second Young Master."
Ruizhu's voice traveled far through the corridor, her face beaming with excitement as she led Rongxiu and her group into the inner courtyard.
Upon hearing the sound, Consort Chun exchanged a delighted glance with Meng Shu, and the two quickly headed towards the door.
Outside the flower hall, the Fifth Miss abruptly stopped when she saw that familiar figure. Her second sister, who used to punish her by making her recite texts, was now the Pure Consort in the Nine Heavens Palace. While she was still in a daze, Little Seven had already broken free from her hand and fluttered forward a couple of steps like a little butterfly.
"Seventh sister, Mother taught us not to be impolite." Although Tang Quan was still young, he already had the demeanor of an older brother and grabbed his sister's sleeve.
"Second sister..."
The Fifth Miss choked slightly, and knelt down steadily three steps away from Consort Chun, saying, "May Consort Chun be well, and may Consort Meng be well." She gently pressed her younger siblings down to bow as well, and the seven-jeweled necklace bestowed upon Little Seven by Empress Dowager Zhou swayed gently with her movements.
"Get up quickly, there are no outsiders here, why do you need to do this?" Consort Chun hurriedly stepped forward and reached out to help her up, her fingertips under her wide sleeves trembling slightly.
She saw the familiar filigree gold hairpin inlaid with pearls and jade flowers and butterflies in her fifth sister's hair—it was the one she had ordered the craftsmen of the Jewelry Department to make and given to her fifth sister as a coming-of-age gift. More than a year had passed since she last saw her, and her fifth sister had grown even more exquisite.
"Mother and sister-in-law went to the Empress Dowager's palace, and Aunt Rongxiu brought us here to my sister first." The Fifth Miss stood up, took Consort Chun's arm, and explained softly.
Rongxiu said at the right moment, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. Madam Yun has been gone for about a quarter of an hour and should be on her way now. This servant will not disturb Your Majesty's family reunion any longer and will take my leave to return to Yichun Palace."
Meng Shu's eyes flickered slightly, and she stepped forward half a step, saying, "Your Highness, please speak with the Fifth Miss and the others first. I will see Aunt out."
As she was escorted to the jade steps outside the palace, Rongxiu stopped before Meng Shu could speak and whispered, "Your Majesty, please wait. No detail can be hidden from Your Majesty, but this servant truly did not know. The Empress Dowager kept Fifth Miss behind for a brief talk, so Fifth Miss did not go over there with her."
Meng Shu understood and smiled gently, "It is our Empress Dowager's good fortune to have taken such good care of the Fifth Miss."
After Rongxiu and her group had gone some distance, Lvliu leaned closer and whispered, "Could it be that something is wrong at Huaqing Palace?"
Meng Shu seemed to be deep in thought, a vague guess forming in her mind. A few days ago, the Duchess came to the palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, accompanied by a lady. Xia'er found out that she was the mistress of the Wuxing Earl's Mansion in the capital.
......
at the same time.
Inside the Imperial Study, at Yingzhou Hall.
The gilded lion-shaped incense burner emitted wisps of ambergris, weaving a thin veil in the morning light streaming through the window.
A huge map of the canal transport counties was spread out on the emperor's desk. The edges of the silk were already curled, indicating that it was frequently consulted.
The Emperor was listening quietly as Tang Xian recounted his experiences during his time away from the capital.
"Your humble servant is traveling south under the guise of a merchant guild," Tang Xian said, his voice low but clear. "Starting from Tongzhou, we passed through Dezhou and Linqing to Huai'an, covering four routes and eighteen prefectures, where we witnessed seven instances of corruption in the grain transport system."
The Emperor's long, slender fingers hovered above the blueprint, their tips stained with vermilion ink. He listened intently to Tang Xian's report, his gaze slowly following the branch of the canal that the other pointed to.
He had already read Tang Xian's memorial, and now, as he listened carefully to his explanation, the details gradually became clear. The Grand Canal was a major national affair, and its problems had accumulated over the centuries; its core was not controlled by powerful families.
When Tang Xian mentioned, "In order to solve the problems of reducing labor in counties and prefectures, enacting large-scale corvée labor, and consuming huge amounts of food for ships, warehouses can be set up according to the dry season, the wet season, and the flood season for flexible transportation," the emperor's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He raised his hand and lightly tapped the table, startling Jingming, who was standing by his side, who quickly brought him a freshly brewed cup of Yunwu tea.
emperor:"......"
Tang Xian seemed oblivious and continued, "...Following the old system of the previous dynasty's Ever-Normal Granaries, water storage warehouses were set up at key points of the Grand Canal. During the high-water season, boats would sail, and during the low-water season, the water would be stored in the warehouses for transport in stages. This also allowed for advance planning of inflows and outflows."
He pointed to several ports on the map, saying, "Not only that, but cargo yards can also be added at these ports. Empty official ships can transport light goods on their return journeys and hand them over to the authorities for sale. The increased revenue can be used to operate the official ships and hire laborers..."
The Emperor interrupted, "The policy of granaries was also mentioned by the Governor-General of Lianghuai last year. However, where will the silver needed to build the granaries come from? What about the losses during transportation? And will the number of personnel required for granary management inevitably increase?"
He opened the memorials on his desk, and a memorial from the head of the Li family slipped to the ground.
Following up on the Emperor's question, Tang Xian continued to explain, "Warehouses aren't necessarily located at the riverbank; they can also be temporarily requisitioned from private granaries along waterways or land routes..."
The Emperor suddenly chuckled and pointed at the memorial, saying to Tang Xian, "The Li family is quite clever."
Jingming understood and presented the memorial to Tang Xian.
Tang Xian glanced at it quickly and couldn't help but be surprised: "The Li family has proposed to jointly build granaries in four prefectures in Jiangnan?"
(Note: The basic policy was to establish granaries in the capital and granaries in prefectures and counties. The purpose of granaries was to regulate grain prices in normal times and to provide disaster relief during times of floods, droughts and locust plagues. However, in reality, local gentry controlled the grain market and secretly obstructed the construction of granaries, which rendered the granaries in name only. This was the cause of the problem.)
The Li family of Zhao County suffered setbacks in the grain transport issue, and this time they took the initiative to request the construction of the Ever-Normal Granary and to coordinate with the gentry. This was actually a gesture of goodwill to the court, and also intended to protect Consort Rong who was about to enter the palace.
......
Inside Cheng Guan Zhai, the shadows of flowers are sparse.
Madam Yun walked all the way from Huaqing Palace without showing the slightest change in expression.
As they entered the inner courtyard, Meng Shu followed Consort Chun to pay their respects. Madam Yun subtly stepped aside, gently supporting Meng Shu's arm and saying, "Your Highness, you mustn't."
Seeing her aunt's attitude towards Meng Jieyu, Yun Baolin couldn't help but show a hint of disappointment on her face.
However, no one really cares what emotions she has.
When Madam Yun and her daughter met, they were naturally overwhelmed with emotion. However, she did not neglect Meng Shu, but because Consort Yun was also present, there were some things she could not say. Therefore, she only exchanged a few words with Meng Shu before taking Consort Chun to the study.
Mother Wei hadn't seen Mengzhu for a long time, so she chatted with Mengzhu and Ruizhu together. When Xiaoqi was in the mansion, she loved to stick to Donggua and play around. Donggua would then lead them to the corridor to admire the flowers, and soft laughter could be heard from time to time.
While Yun Baolin and Su Wanwan were exchanging pleasantries, Green Willow secretly leaned close to Meng Shu's ear and whispered, "Why does Madam seem to be in such a hurry? It's as if she's rushing to say something to Her Majesty."
Meng Shu shook her head gently, then suddenly remembered that the Emperor had mentioned asking Madam Yun to clear her name. She stared blankly in the direction of the study, her heart tightening for no reason.