jdhmnovel Chapter 924 Getting beaten up is their business, what does it have to do with us?
Chapter 924 Getting beaten up is their business, what does it have to do with us?
"Whoo~"
Li Shanchang exhaled a breath of stale air, put down his wine cup, first signaling the dancing Silla maid to leave, then glancing outside the door before turning to Hu Weiyong and asking, "Any new news these past few days?"
Hu Weiyong watched the Silla maid's retreating figure with lingering affection, smacked his lips, and said, "Several more have frozen to death, damn it."
"Damn it, we've repeatedly warned against going out after drinking, but how many of these bastards actually listen?"
"Damn it, why don't you just drink these bastards to death?"
Li Shanchang frowned slightly.
In just a few sentences, Hu Weiyong directly incorporated the swearing dialects of Ningyang and Liaoyang.
I guess he was really furious.
After shaking his head slightly, Li Shanchang said, "Let's issue another order and make sure the heads of each organization keep an eye on this."
Hu Weiyong agreed with a dark and sour face.
The cold in Liaodong, this wretched place, is different from that in Jiangnan.
The Jiangnan region is slightly damp and cold, with a fine, needle-like texture. The cold air tries its best to penetrate into clothes, often giving people the feeling that "it's too cold indoors, so let's go outside and bask in the sun."
Before the thaw in spring, Liaodong is bitterly cold, with a biting chill that cuts to the bone. The howling wind is everywhere, and snowflakes carried by the wind are pelted directly at people's faces.
Moreover, snowflakes are already a gentle touch unique to Liaodong—if it were snow particles, those things could really cut you.
The phrase "frozen three feet deep" is a truly realistic depiction, without any exaggeration.
Even the writing is still understated.
In other words, until the thick ice layer thaws, farming activities are basically impossible in Liaodong.
If a sudden heavy snowfall like this occurs, the ice that was just beginning to melt will freeze solid again, forcing the spring planting season to a halt.
Since the people could not farm, there were only a few things left for them to do.
Drinking, gambling, and having children.
However, gambling is a bit too expensive, and the consequences of getting caught are too severe. It's also impossible to have children every day.
Therefore, drinking became the best pastime for the people of Liaodong.
Frozen to death on the way home after drinking alcohol has become one of the most common ways for people in Liaodong to die in winter.
If you're lucky, you might be able to keep a whole body; if you're unlucky, even your bones might be dragged away by jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards.
While mentally ranting, Hu Weiyong said, "Recently, a rumor has been circulating that the iron in Liaodong is sweet."
Li Shanchang was slightly taken aback and asked, "What? Iron is sweet?"
Hu Weiyong nodded, "Yes, there's a rumor that iron is sweet."
"I suspected there was a trap involved, so I specially arrested a few laborers and sent them to test it out."
"Then……"
Hu Weiyong snorted again and said, "The laborers' tongues froze as soon as they touched the iron."
"Even if you pour warm water on it, a layer of skin will peel off."
"I don't know who deliberately spread this rumor to mislead people."
Li Shanchang turned his gaze directly to another courtyard not far away.
Was it a deliberate attempt to scam someone?
When it comes to the skill of deliberately swindling people, who in the entire Ming Dynasty dares to say that they are better than a certain prince consort?
Such a nonsensical and self-destructive mess is most likely the work of that prince consort.
It's a pity that I'm long past the age of being greedy, and I wouldn't think of testing whether iron is sweet or not.
Li Shanchang was internally ranting, while Hu Weiyong glanced discreetly at the direction outside the door and lowered his voice to say, "Prime Minister Li, do you think those officials will be of any use this time?"
Li Shanchang picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and sneered, "The Prince Consort has set up such a good platform for them; they'd better hope they can make the most of it."
"If they're still thinking of messing things up like before, I wouldn't mind sending them all to dig up the tower."
After a slight pause, Li Shanchang looked at Hu Weiyong and asked, "How are the supplies and manpower you were asked to prepare in advance doing?"
Hu Weiyong put down his wine cup and smiled, "Prime Minister Li, rest assured, I made special arrangements to avoid those people from Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture."
"Right now, our prince consort is probably pacing back and forth in a panic."
"It's all thanks to Prime Minister Li's brilliant strategy."
Hu Weiyong looked at Li Shanchang with admiration and clicked his tongue, saying, "A Liaoyang Prefecture, the entire Liaodong region, and a snow disaster that is the worst in decades or even a century—that's enough to give him a headache."
Li Shanchang immediately stroked his beard and laughed, saying humbly, "I never expected such a heavy snowfall in Liaodong. I only made some preparations in advance, thinking that it's better to be safe than sorry. I didn't expect to have managed to deceive our Prince Consort. Hehe, haha, hahahaha."
Hu Weiyong also chuckled.
This official, Hu Weiyong, and the Grand Secretary of the court, Li Shanchang, the Duke of Han, conspired to put on a grand show, ultimately framing Yang the Madman.
Hahahaha!
The two of us slaughtered each other indiscriminately; who in the entire court could compare?
But as he was laughing, Hu Weiyong suddenly stopped laughing: "Prime Minister Li, what about His Highness the Crown Prince..."
Li Shanchang stroked his beard and smiled, "If we can't hide it from His Highness, we can't hide it from Yang the Madman."
"Your Highness must have suffered for Yang the Madman for a long time. Now that there is a great opportunity for revenge, even if Your Highness finds out afterward, I don't think you will blame him."
"Moreover, this time we didn't just keep it from His Highness, it wasn't just to deal with Yang the Madman."
"It's mostly for Liaodong."
"Even if one rises to a higher position..."
Li Shanchang's hand, which was stroking his beard, suddenly stopped.
Hu Weiyong's expression changed drastically.
The two of them shouted in unison, "Your Majesty!"
Hu Weiyong jumped to his feet, completely ignoring the cups, bowls, and plates that had been overturned in front of him. "Oh no, oh no, what are we going to do?"
Li Shanchang managed to calm himself down and took another sip of wine.
Since things have come to this, let's have a drink.
With trembling hands, Li Shanchang picked up two pieces of mutton with his chopsticks, then suddenly made up his mind: "Was it us who instigated the sealing of the Wolf Mountain?"
"Were we the ones who persuaded you to come to Liaodong?"
“It’s all Yang the Madman and His Highness causing trouble, inside and out.”
"We are all implicated because of them."
"Even if my older sister is angry, she will only take it out on the two of them."
"As long as we're a bunch of idiots, getting beaten up is their problem, what does it have to do with us?"
Hu Weiyong stared blankly at Li Shanchang.
Yes, this matter has nothing to do with you, Li Shanchang; you are also a victim.
But... this matter really has something to do with me, Hu Weiyong!
I was the one who persuaded you to come to Liaodong, you bastard!
I, Hu Weiyong, am the one who started this whole thing!
My goodness!
……
Jinzhou.
The Dengzhou fleet, which could be described as covering the sky, landed one after another, and more than 300 magnificent warhorses were led out of the huge ships.
In particular, the first three horses brought out were rare Akhal-Teke horses, which were stolen by Keber Li Mingchen from the imperial procession sent by Emperor Hu Yuan, Ayushiridara, to the Fishing Sea. They were originally intended to be presented to Emperor Zhu, but they were robbed by a prince who was temporarily acting as a bandit in Ningyang County. Two of them ended up in the princess's residence, and one ended up in the Duke of E's residence.