Chapter 806: Open Gambit
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
What was fair?
The root of the matter was balance.
What was balance?
It was just for show.
Under the balance, some were shrewd and scheming, some were aggrieved, and some used their power for personal gain. However, as long as the overall benefits were not damaged, who would care?
There would always be bad people among a community.
When Yu Shande returned home, he opened a set of ragged clothes hidden in a box and looked at them for a long time.
From then on, Hanlin Academy Steward Yu Shande no longer existed. His hometown suffered a calamity and he fled into the capital with thousands of refugees.
… .
The news from the Imperial Court was sent in less than three days. It was in the hands of King Yue Fei of Liancheng, and it spread throughout the North and even the entire Great Zhou Dynasty at an astonishing speed.
Under the deliberate exaggeration of the Imperial Court, Princess Shaoyi had suddenly become a living Bodhisattva in the hearts of thousands of refugees. She had become a bright lamp that guided the desperate refugees who were waiting for death.
A large number of refugees began to rush to the North.
At the same time, Princess Shaoyi was in Liancheng. She had also joined forces with some retail investors in Liancheng to open up silkworm farms and settle the refugees in Fuzhen and Liancheng.
More than a hundred thousand refugees cried excitedly.
Everyone was crying. They were crying that they had been stranded all the way and had suffered the torture of hunger and cold. That was why they had fled to this place and were homeless from then on.
Now, someone told them this.
Princess Shaoyi wanted to promote sweet potato cultivation in the three provinces of Liaodong.
They could rely on raising silkworms and exchanging silk for food to support their families and settle down in this place where there was no drought.
Liancheng had little farmland and many forests. Even if they did not have farmland, Princess Shaoyi and King Yue Fei still opened a way out for them.
They wouldn’t starve to death.
In the sorrowful atmosphere, someone shouted hoa.r.s.ely, “May Princess Shaoyi live for a thousand years…”
It was as if a stone had caused a thousand ripples. People kept kneeling and shouting.
“May Princess Shaoyi live for a thousand years…”
“May King Yue Fei live for a thousand years…”
The refugees did not forget who had taken them in and provided them with food when they were in despair.
They would also not forget who planted the sweet potatoes that they relied on to survive every day.
Who was the one who gave them the medicine they had taken after they fell sick and the medicine to prevent the epidemic?
… .
However, the expressions of the heads of the Qiao, Zhang, Zhao, and Wan families were ashen. They took in refugees and settled them down to deal with internal and external problems. It was the national policy to strengthen the borders and resist external forces.
Princess Shaoyi had expanded the rules of raising silkworms and arranged for the refugees to follow the national policy.
The Imperial Court gave a clear order, requesting the full support of the n.o.bles of the North.
Those who disobeyed the order would be dealt with for undermining politics.
The Imperial Court personally handed a butcher’s knife to King Yue Fei.
In the future, King Yue Fei would not be controlled by the n.o.bles because of his status as a va.s.sal lord.
King Yue Fei controlled everything in the North, and those n.o.bles who had once offended him would not have a good ending.
There was dead silence in the room.
The four of them controlled the silkworm business in Liancheng together. On the surface, they were in a cooperative relationship, but there were many conflicts in private. Whenever the four of them met, they would always quarrel.
This was the first time it had been so quiet.
Patriarch Qiao was anxious and couldn’t stand the quiet and heavy atmosphere. “Speak. Aren’t all of you quite eloquent? Why are you acting like mutes now?”
Patriarch Zhang glanced at him and stabbed him sarcastically. “If you’re capable, speak. You don’t even take the dignified Princess Shaoyi seriously.”
Patriarch Qiao recalled what he had said previously. “She’s the daughter of an external minister. She’s really putting on the airs of a princess.”
Immediately, his old face turned red. It was unknown if he was angry or upset. He subconsciously raised his eyebrows and was about to retort, but he swallowed his words.
Seeing that he was holding back his anger and his face had turned purple, Patriarch Zhao sneered. “The Imperial Court has issued a national policy to accommodate refugees, settle them down, and strengthen the internal and external affairs. They have also mentioned Emperor Gaozu. The person who led all of this is the Grand Secretary of the Hall of Literature, Elder Yu. What does this mean?”
Patriarch Qiao’s face was ashen as he shut his mouth.
Why were they afraid of Princess Shaoyi previously but did not take her seriously?
That was because Princess Shaoyi was a woman. Even if she had a n.o.ble status, could she interfere in the court? As long as they did not offend her on the surface and respected the rules, what could a princess do to them?
But!
Princess Shaoyi had just come to the North and planned to expand the scale of raising silkworms and settle the refugees. The Imperial Court had issued the corresponding national policies, and the person who led everything was none other than Elder Yu, who had a high status in the Yu Clan.
They did not believe that all of this had nothing to do with Princess Shaoyi.
What did this mean?
This meant that Princess Shaoyi had a pivotal position in the Yu Clan.
It also showed how much the palace valued Princess Shaoyi.
This meant that Princess Shaoyi’s current status was enough to affect the court.
Master Wan smiled bitterly and sighed softly. “Princess Shaoyi has really given the n.o.bles of the North an opening gambit.”
Master Zhang also said, “That’s right. She has the Yu Clan in the court to pave the way for her, and King Yue Fei to support her in the North. She also has the support of millions of refugees behind her. Who dares to say anything bad about her? In the future, she will be successful in the North. No matter what she wants to do, the n.o.bles have to hold their noses and make way for her. If necessary, they even have to support her wholeheartedly. Otherwise…” At this point, a faint chill rose in his heart. “King Yue Fei is no longer the same as before. Moreover, there are tens of millions of refugees in the North. They can drown people even if one person spits once.”
The aristocratic families valued their reputation.
A n.o.ble valued fame and fortune.
Words were terrifying. These words were closely related to the fame and fortune of the n.o.bles. Once the commoners targeted the n.o.bles, it would give King Yue Fei a chance to deal with them openly.
The person who really controlled the sharp weapon to deal with the n.o.bles was Princess Shaoyi.
No one in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty dared to offend her.
Even the imperial family.
Patriarch Qiao looked impatient. “Tell me, what should we do now?”
Patriarch Zhao looked helpless. “Why don’t we go to the county office together tomorrow and ask Lord Li to bring us to the courier station to meet Princess Shaoyi and show our loyalty? What do you think?”
To show their loyalty, they would just give Princess Shaoyi more money and food to help her settle the refugees.
There were already more than 150,000 refugees outside the city.
After the Imperial Court issued a series of national policies to accommodate the refugees, there were still a large number of refugees rushing to the North from the north. The northwest region had suffered a large-scale disaster. Only the three provinces of Liaodong had the ability to accommodate the refugees. The government’s stock of food was limited, and King Yue Fei couldn’t always use the army to provide relief to the refugees.
To put it bluntly, it was better to let the n.o.bles pay for it.