thefictionvixens Chapter 356 They were all coerced.
Chapter 356 They were all coerced.
Pei Yanli broke out in a cold sweat and knelt on the ground with a thud. "This humble subject was foolish!"
Shen Shixi said, "Get up! There are many things we need to work hard at, but we don't necessarily have to succeed. We can't just look at the results when we do things. Sometimes, even if the results aren't good, we can't deny the process, because we tried our best during that process."
Every effort is stored in a person's life. It's uncertain when it will reap the rewards, but one day it will lead to a good result, and that's enough.
Some leaders in later generations often boastfully say "only look at the results," which seems cool and impressive, but is actually base and they are unaware of it.
Pei Yanli was utterly shocked. "But... what if things don't go through..."
Shen Shixi stopped him, "Don't be impatient for quick success! I understand your desire to get things done. If one path doesn't work, try another. We have plenty of time."
If Quanzhou doesn't work, go to Guangzhou. If Guangzhou doesn't work, go to Mingzhou. If Mingzhou still doesn't work, there's Huating. History is long, and life is long. If we dedicate our lives to one thing, we can always succeed, right?
Pei Yanli understood her meaning and was pleased with her explanation. "Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness. It was I who acted rashly!"
Shen Shixi nodded, "It's good that you understand! Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. What you do is the same as doing things in the imperial court. Do it slowly and carefully. There's no need to rush."
Pei Yanli raised many problems encountered during the process, and Shen Shixi provided solutions to each one.
"On my way to the capital, when I passed through Rang County, Dengzhou, Nanyang, I met a grandfather and grandson who were on their way to the capital to appeal to the emperor. They said that their land had been forcibly confiscated and that the able-bodied men in their family had been imprisoned."
They were being chased at the time, and I rescued them; together we traveled to the capital.
Shen Shixi recalled a memorial from Rang County, Dengzhou, Nanyang, and asked, "Is the county magistrate named Xu Siyuan?"
"Exactly."
Shen Shixi had someone bring the memorial and said, "This memorial was submitted after being reviewed by the Ministry of Justice. It is a list of people to be executed this autumn. There are quite a few people. It is said that local troublemakers have rebelled, and 128 people will be executed in one county."
I found it strange at the time and already sent people to Rang County to investigate and find out what happened. Tomorrow, take some men to the Ministry of Justice and hand them over to Song Yan so he can handle this matter.”
"This humble subject obeys the decree."
Shen Shixi said, "There is another matter. Last year, Dengzhou made a batch of cotton-padded coats, 50,000 pieces, which were sent to the border. More than 20 soldiers froze to death in one night. Later, I heard that nearly 100 people died in one winter."
This matter was kept secret by Yang Shougui, the military governor of Shuofang. "When you return to Quanzhou this time, I will have someone escort you. Conduct a secret investigation in Dengzhou, and if you can obtain some evidence, have it brought back to the capital."
"This humble subject obeys the decree!" Pei Yanli readily complied.
Shen Shixi had someone reward him with another hundred taels of silver, which was equivalent to the travel expenses for this trip. When Pei Yanli left the palace, he met Princess Yi'an.
Princess Yi'an had no other intention than to greet Pei Yanli, "Young Master Pei!"
Pei Yanli quickly bowed, "I am a commoner who has ruined my family and clan, and I am not worthy of the title 'Young Master'."
The term "公子" (gongzi) was generally used to address the young masters of powerful and influential families. During the Zhou Dynasty, only the sons of feudal lords were respectfully addressed as "公子". Later, however, any man was called "公子", which was considered a sign of high regard.
Yi'an pursed her lips. "If your aunt from Liyang comes looking for you, you absolutely must not...you must not...you must not respond to her."
Pei Yanli immediately understood what was going on. He smiled and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Princess. I will know my limits."
Yi An immediately felt a little embarrassed, nodded, and turned to leave.
For some reason, Pei Yanli suddenly felt a pang of emotion and called out, "Princess!"
Yi'an turned around, and the two looked at each other for a moment. Pei Yanli bowed and hurriedly said, "Thank you, this humble subject takes his leave!"
After saying that, he turned and left without looking back.
Yi'an stood there, watching his back, and suddenly a wave of sadness washed over her, for herself and for the young man.
They were all caught up in the situation, helplessly bearing hardships and pressures that were not theirs to bear.
Shen Shixi quickly found out and summoned Yi'an to ask, "Last time when your aunt from Liyang brought you back, I didn't ask much. How have you been doing at the Grand Princess's residence?"
Yi'an was surprised that anyone would ask about this, and her heart warmed. She lowered her head slightly, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I'm sure you know that Aunt Liyang wants... wants me to marry my cousin, but I'm afraid I'm not good enough for her!"
Shen Shixi said, "Nonsense! How are you unworthy? You are the late emperor's daughter, a true golden branch and jade leaf. There are countless men in the world you are not good enough for. Don't belittle yourself!"
Yi'an said, "Sister-in-law, I know many people are laughing at me and questioning my background. Even if I am indeed the son of the Emperor, those people will fabricate all sorts of stories about my origins for their own malicious thoughts. These are things I cannot control."
Shen Shixi asked, "So what are your thoughts? Do you want to stay peacefully in the palace, with me or your elder brother choosing a good husband for you, or do you have other ideas?"
Yi'an looked up in surprise, "Sister-in-law, is it alright?"
Shen Shixi laughed and said, "Of course! In this life, as long as you don't do anything illegal or disorderly, and don't harm others or yourself, what is there that you can't do? Even if you want to join the army on the frontier, I can send you for training!"
Yi'an immediately burst into laughter, tears streaming down her face. "Sister-in-law, I...I want to work at the charity, is that alright?"
"Yes, but on one condition: from the moment you leave the palace, you will no longer be a princess. Of course, this is not to strip you of your princess status, but for your safety."
Did you know that just last month, Beisha sent a large number of men to raid the Quanzhou Charity Hall, resulting in the deaths of over a hundred people? If people find out that you, a princess, are working at a charity hall, some villains might capture you and threaten your elder brother.”
Yi'an exclaimed "Ah!" clearly shocked. She quickly said, "Sister-in-law, I understand. I just wanted to go out and see the world, and work at the charity."
Shen Shixi thought for a moment and asked, "Which charity do you want to go to? In the north, in the south, or somewhere else?"
Yi'an said, "I will leave everything to my sister-in-law's arrangements."
Shen Shixi said, "Pei Yanli is going back to Quanzhou. You can ask him if he can take you with him. Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. The distance from the capital to Quanzhou is several thousand miles, which is enough to broaden your horizons."
Overwhelmed with emotion, Yi'an kowtowed deeply to Shen Shixi.
A report from the northern border was placed on Shen Shixi's desk.
On the second day of the third month, Beisha and Dazhou clashed once. The battle was very fierce. Yang Shougui ordered He Xilie to lead 3,000 soldiers to meet the enemy and confuse them. He then detoured to cut off Beisha's retreat.
Yang Shougui marched 300 li in haste, but after days of heavy rain, the bows and crossbows were all loosened. He engaged in close combat with Beisha, but was defeated and ordered to flee.
While pursuing them, Beisha also surrounded and annihilated He Xilie's men and women. Outnumbered, He Xilie was killed in battle!