I Rely on Beauty to Stabilize the Country - Chap 116
Early the next morning, when leaving Xue Mansion, Gu Yuanbai thought that Xue Yuan would not appear in front of him.
But as soon as the door opened, Gu Yuanbai still met the unshaven Xue Yuan’s eyes. Xue Yuan gave a frozen smile, with a layer of dew on his shoulders, “Your Majesty, I want to enter the palace.”
“…” Gu Yuanbai, “What are you doing in the palace?”
Xue Yuan: “Protect you.”
Gu Yuanbai couldn’t help but turn the jade ring on his hand, his eyes wandered on his face, and then moved away from his stubble and black eyes, “Do you want a salary?”
“Your Majesty, just take care of food and shelter.” Xue Yuan said.
Gu Yuanbai nodded and said simply, “Follow.”
Another person appeared in the team leaving the palace. Xue Yuan wrapped his boots tightly, straightened the sword at his waist, and rejoined the team of personal guards.
He looked at Gu Yuanbai’s back, lowered his eyebrows, and tightened his grip on the handle of the knife.
After returning to the palace, Gu Yuanbai called the Dongling Guards, but before he could give them the order to fully search the palace and Xuanzheng Hall, someone from the Supervision Office came to see the Holy Master.
This group of people returned from the coast. They were sent by Gu Yuanbai to investigate the matter of Haiyan and Chiyan. When Xixia Qingyan was secretly popular, Gu Yuanbai had been looking for ways to open up the source.
In addition, they also have a special mission, which is to search for unseen crops around the coast to see if there are seeds from other continents that have reached the border of Daheng with the waves, or have been carried by seagulls, and then Something that takes root along the coast. It would be a great joy if we could really find potato or corn seeds along the coast.
This group of people has been to the coast for two years, and this is the first time they have returned. Gu Yuanbai ordered Dong Lingwei to wait aside and let the officials from the Supervision Office come forward.
After the officials from the Supervision Office finished saluting, they did not waste any time. They first informed about the salt drying along the coast and then handed the map to Gu Yuanbai. Gu Yuanbai looked at the red dots on the map and said, “These are the newly found rock salt and salt.” lake salt?”
“Yes,” said the Supervision Office official, “I discovered a salt lake in a mountain recess in two Zhejiang provinces. After countless years of exposure to the scorching sun, the water in the lake has long dried up, leaving only salt grains as bright as snow flakes. This place There are many salt lakes in the country. I tried them and found that they are edible salt.”
“Natural sun-dried table salt,” Gu Yuanbai’s eyes lit up, “Is it a lot?”
“There are mountains of all sizes,” an official from the Supervision Office said cautiously. “That place has been surrounded by the garrison. After careful inspection, we found that the animals in the mountains like to lick a mountain wall at noon. I went to take a look. A few scrapes with the dagger revealed dirty-colored salt grains, and a few more scrapes revealed snow-white salt inside. Those hills were vaguely covered with snow. It was only then that I realized that the hills were not covered with white snow. , but rock salt. But I didn’t have enough manpower, so I just came back to report to the Holy One, but I haven’t checked the quantity yet.”
Gu Yuanbai breathed heavily, “What about these mountains with salt lakes?”
“Yes,” the Supervision Office official couldn’t help but smile, “I boldly guess that these hills are all large salt mines.”
This surprise came too suddenly, and Gu Yuanbai was caught off guard and was overjoyed. When the people from the Supervision Office saw His Majesty like this, they were also happy and satisfied. They took out a wooden box and said, “Sir, when we came back from a place along the coast, we found that the wealthy families near the sea like to light a kind of spice. These spices have a pleasant fragrance and have a refreshing effect, so I brought them here specially to offer them to the Holy One.”
Gu Yuanbai happily agreed and asked Tian Fusheng to take it, extinguished the incense in the palace, ventilated it, lit the spices brought by the Supervision Office officials, and placed them on the desk for tasting.
Thick smoke curled up from the incense burner, and the light and elegant fragrance slowly filled the air. However, the smile on Gu Yuanbai’s face paused for a moment, and finally slowly subsided, condensing into an expressionless look.
As his expression turned cold, the atmosphere in the palace seemed to be suddenly frozen. In such a huge palace, only this mist is moving with the wind.
Gu Yuanbai slowly leaned back and leaned on the back of the chair. He said with mixed feelings, “Is this the incense from the coast?”
The Supervision Office official looked solemn, “I don’t dare to talk nonsense, this fragrance is exactly the fragrance that enters our Daheng from the coast.”
Gu Yuanbai’s breathing became faster. His hands had already grasped the armrests of the seat. His fingertips were white, and he was filled with raging anger. “I know. You have worked hard all the way, so go ahead.”
The officials of the Supervision Office looked worried and retreated very obediently.
As soon as they left, Gu Yuanbai looked at Dong Lingwei, his eyes as if quenched by ice, “Invite the Seventh Prince of Xixia! Tell him that I invite him to come and enjoy the Imperial Garden with me.”
Dong Lingwei immediately took the order and left. Gu Yuanbai’s face was gloomy and black. He suddenly stretched out his hand and slammed the incense burner into the palace. With a bang, the palace attendants knelt down on the ground, making a dull sound.
“The fragrance of the coast, the spice of the coast!” Green veins appeared on Gu Yuanbai’s forehead, “It has become the national fragrance of Xixia!”
Xixia is inland, where Ningxia and Shaanxi will be located in the future, facing the sea across Daheng. How could such an inland country have a spice coming from the coast become the national fragrance!
The incense burner rolled several times on the ground and was stepped on by Xue Yuan. Xue Yuan’s eyebrows were dark and he stepped forward to support the Holy Lord, who was shaking with anger.
Gu Yuanbai was helped by him to sit down again. His eyes were heavy, looking at the cigarette ashes spilled on the ground, and a word suddenly flashed through his mind.
Addictive substances.
*
The wind blew in from the palace door, and the hair and robes flew forward. The afternoon sun shone on the palace gate and stretched to the front of the case, but Gu Yuanbai felt cold in his limbs.
He grabbed Xue Yuan’s hand and made fingerprints on the back of Xue Yuan’s hand.
Addictive substances, what are addictive substances?
The most famous one is probably opium. The famous addictive drug that the Chinese hate and fear is opium, which is made from the fruit of the poppy.
There are also five stone powders.
Five Stone Powder was popular in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, but few people use it now. But opium has been paid tribute by foreign countries since the Tang Dynasty, and has always been considered a good medicine. By the way, opium is not called opium today, it is called poppy. ①
Cold air rushed into his mind, and his internal organs seemed to be covered with a layer of black air. Gu Yuanbai’s hands and feet felt cold. He had no strength to hold Xue Yuan’s hand. When it was about to fall off, his backhand was held by Xue Yuan.
Xue Yuan said suppressedly: “Your Majesty.”
Gu Yuanbai looked up at him blankly, and then said: “Xue Jiuyao, I seem to be poisoned.”
Taking a small amount of addictive substances can even be used as a good medicine. Gu Yuanbai believes that in the Taiyuan Hospital under his control, if someone really secretly allowed him to take addictive substances, it would most likely be only a small amount. In the eyes of the imperial doctor, such a dosage may only be beneficial to Gu Yuanbai’s health.
But he was feeling flustered, having trouble breathing, his hands and feet were weak after leaving the palace for a long time, and he was retching and nauseated. This was obviously an addiction.
Xue Yuan’s hand suddenly tightened, he gritted his teeth, and his nostrils twitched, as if he was about to burst out, “Xiang?”
Gu Yuanbai looked at him looking like he was going to find someone to fight for at any time, but he calmed down and said, “Not necessarily.”
If he was addicted, yesterday’s reaction was too easy to get over. Even though Gu Yuanbai has never taken drugs, he still knows what kind of reaction a real addict will have when they quit.
Even if there is indeed something wrong with Xixia Guoxiang, the Tai Hospital has not detected the harm. It can only say that the dosage is too small to harm normal people’s health, and it only has a “refreshing” effect.
His sensitive, decaying body was likely overreacting to this addictive substance.
Gu Yuanbai felt relieved when he thought of this, “Wait for the seventh prince of Xixia to come first.” He thanked himself for his poor health for the first time, “I don’t believe they dare to frame me so blatantly regarding Xixia Guoxiang.”
Xue Yuan’s breath was stagnant, “Don’t you ask the imperial doctor first?!”
Gu Yuanbai was stunned and glanced at him, “Wait a minute.”
Xue Yuan didn’t say much. He took a deep look at him, flicked his sword, and stood aside to wait with him.
Gu Yuanbai thought about what Xue Yuan said last night about blocking the road to hell for him, and his expression changed slightly, “Tian Fusheng, call the imperial doctor to wait in the side hall.”
Say goodbye.
Two people squeezed into Huangquan Road, which was quite crowded.
*
Dong Lingwei went to invite the seventh prince of Xixia, but he also brought the second prince of Xixia.
The second prince of Xixia looked worried, but his smile was submissive, “The foreign minister followed me without permission, please forgive me.”
“How polite,” Gu Yuanbai looked at the two Xixia princes with a smile, “Come, please give me a seat.”
The two Xixia princes sat down, and Gu Yuanbai slowly chatted with them about Xixia customs for a few words, and suddenly asked: “Seventh prince, are you familiar with the smell in my palace?”
Li Angshun narrowed his eyes slightly, smelled the smell in the palace carefully, and smiled, “You must be familiar with it. This is the national fragrance of Xixia. In Xixia, everyone from the emperor to the rich officials likes this fragrance very much. ”
Gu Yuanbai repeated: “From the emperor to the rich and powerful…”
His heart sank.
“That’s right,” Li Ang said along the way, “the scent of incense in my father’s palace is stronger than that here. He really loves this incense. Even after falling asleep, he will ask the palace people to refill the incense from time to time. If the incense breaks out at night, My father would even wake up from his sleep in a panic.”
Gu Yuanbai closed his eyes, “I also think it tastes good.”
It is already a chronic poison.
A look of contentment appeared in Li Angshun’s eyes, “This fragrance can make people wake up suddenly. All the famous ministers of Xixia praised it.”
Gu Yuanbai no longer had the interest to continue chatting, and on the pretext of feeling unwell, he asked the palace attendant to take the two princes to the imperial garden.
The second prince stood up obediently, but Li Angshun looked disappointed. At this moment, he suddenly felt a wave of unkind glances. When he looked up, he saw a handsome and extraordinary guard standing behind Emperor Daheng, staring at Li Angshun’s fingers. .
Li Angshun frowned, and before his anger rose, he saw two black-skinned wolves standing as tall as humans in a hidden corner of the wall. The two wolves had faint eyes, and they were also staring at Li Angshun’s face. Fingers to see.
Li Angshun felt chilled and turned around to follow the palace attendant and leave the palace.
After a moment, the imperial doctor of the side hall came forward and took the pulse of the Holy One. The Holy One had his eyes closed and was still frightened by Li Angshun’s statement that “all the people inhale the national fragrance”.
The emperor of Xixia was deeply addicted. Haven’t the people of Xixia discovered the disadvantages of this incense? Who traded so many addictive substances with Xixia and asked Xixia to send these addictive substances to Gu Yuanbai.
Is it because of this that Xixia paid so much compensation?
“Check,” Gu Yuanbai’s voice was hoarse, weighed down by countless burdens, “check where the incense is transported to Xixia, and then check where the incense along the coast enters Daheng.”
This kind of addictive substance is almost the highest symbol of power, and it is a weapon to dominate others and control others.
I absolutely cannot bear it, and I absolutely must find out who is coveting Daheng, and who has such a big appetite that he wants to devour Xixia in one bite.
