Empress: Your Majesty, please respect yourself, I don't want to be promoted

Chapter 224 The heartache is too painful to breathe

As the marriage certificate was torn into pieces, Yue Dashan sighed and left the Chu family with Yue Qingqing.

"Phew... finally got rid of that guy."

The moment he left Yongping Village, Yue Qingqing breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and then said excitedly to Yue Dashan beside him:
"Dad, Brother Niu has promised his daughter that as long as she breaks off the engagement, he will immediately come to propose marriage with generous gifts. Their family has several acres of good land, which is many times better than that of the Chu family. My daughter will definitely be able to survive if she gets married. Living a good life is countless times better than marrying Chu!"

After a pause, she continued: "Besides, Brother Niu will definitely be able to prepare a generous gift that will satisfy you, Dad. Then Huzi's marriage will be settled. Don't Erniu and his family need two stones of rice and noodles?" Brother Niu will definitely be able to get it together, and Brother Niu is a filial person, so he will definitely treat you as a filial father as he treats his own father, so just wait and enjoy the blessings."

Hearing this, there was no trace of joy on Yue Dashan's face.

He shook his head and said in a deep voice: "You just need to live a good life from now on and live your own life. Dad, you don't have to worry about it."

Seeing his father's appearance, Yue Qingqing couldn't help but frown.

"Dad, are you still blaming your daughter?"

"No."

Yue Dashan shook his head and denied it, but looked a little lonely.

There was a hint of apology in his eyes.

Seeing this, Yue Qingqing frowned immediately.

"Dad, you don't want to see your daughter live a hard life, right?"

As she said that, she pointed in the direction of the Chu family and raised her voice: "Daughter, I am also a pretty and well-known girl from all over the country. There are countless lovers who want to marry my daughter. What does Chu have? None. He has no fame and no ability to make a living, let alone any connections. The Chu family has no land now, and they still have to find ways to raise money for Chu to study. The family is obviously so poor that they have to rely on mutual aid to survive, and they still have to squeeze out the money, not to mention Chu doesn’t have the materials to study at all…”

She kept complaining.

"If my daughter marries such a person, how will she live in the future? Just rely on the ten acres of coal-filled fields that the father-in-law gave their family? Who doesn't know that the coal is worthless, and it will make the fields unable to grow food? , if your daughter marries her, won’t she have to sit back and have nothing to eat? How many days can she survive with just ten stones of food?”

"Dad, do you want your daughter to starve to death in Montenegro?"

Speaking of this, she completely vented her resentment.

"My daughter left her words here today. Regardless of whether you regret it or not, my daughter will never step into the Chu family in the future. Even if I, Yue Qingqing, marry a beggar, I will never look at that person named Chu. !”

Being questioned repeatedly by his daughter, Yue Dashan was speechless.

In the end, he just said sorry to Chu Zhan in his heart and said nothing more.

As Yue Dashan and Yue Qingqing left the Chu family, similar scenes were staged from time to time in various villages in Montenegro.

Even an engagement made between life and death can be reneged upon, let alone an ordinary engagement.

Of course, not all people whose engagements have been annulled are as calm as Chu. When faced with repentance, most families are pleading, or even begging the other party, to save the marriage that was finally settled, and some are even trying to break up the marriage. The ten stones of mutual aid grain received were used to increase the betrothal gift.

This is the only thing they can use.

However, no matter how much they begged, those families who proposed to regret the marriage refused to agree. Even if they refunded more betrothal gifts, they would have to draw a clear line with them, the common people of the city.

Although the Duke of Taihe County has made a rule and made an agreement with the people in the food town not to exploit the people, there is no hope at all in living in that hellish place in Heishan where food cannot be dug. After all, ordinary farmers depend on the heaven and the earth for their food. Once you get the land, you lose everything. Even if you can work and earn wages, it is only temporary.

The work will eventually be done, and the wages will eventually be spent. Without land, life will still be precarious.

Marrying your daughter to Heishan, and having to live in the household of a commoner in the city, would be a good idea, not to mention whether you can help your natal family and not cause trouble to your natal family, but let your natal family support you.

For a few kilograms of rice and noodles, most people who claim to have a long-term vision would not do this unless their family really couldn't get rid of the trouble.

As a result, the wave of regretful marriages began to sweep through the villages near Montenegro.

The news soon reached the ears of Gu Simiao, who was the Duke of Taihe County.

However, at the same time, there was also a letter from Lu Chen inviting her to return to Beijing to discuss the establishment of coal mining and refining in Taihe County.

Looking at Lu Chen's handwritten letter, Gu Simiao couldn't help but have a subtle smile on her face.

"Come on!"

Putting down the paperwork in her hands, she stood up suddenly.

Soon, Cang Yue, her confidant who had been following her, came over.

"What orders does the General have?"

Gu Simiao put the documents away and then said to Cang Yue: "Cang Yue, prepare your horse for me. I am going back to Beijing."

Back to Beijing again?
Cang Yue looked at Gu Simiao in surprise.

Not sure if it was an illusion, but Cang Yue always felt that ever since Gu Simiao returned to Beijing and was promoted to General Shenwu, things seemed different from before.

It's not that you've fallen into trouble because you have the right, but it's a different kind of strangeness.

In the past, Gu Simiao was unpredictable and decisive in killing. He could only see the enemy and the country of Daxia, and nothing else. His stunning appearance, which would captivate the entire country, was always covered with a layer of ice that seemed to never be melted away. And he spent most of his time in the military camp and paid little attention to temple affairs.

But now she always runs to the capital whenever she has something to do, and makes a special trip back almost every time she takes a break. Now it's even more serious, and she has to go back after only a few days in the military camp.

It's obvious that the Gu family has returned to Nanpi.

Moreover, she once rushed back to Beijing to find Gu Simiao because of some important matter. When passing by Dongshi, she unexpectedly saw this unparalleled man who was like a god in her eyes and trusted by the soldiers in a shop specializing in rouge and gouache. Famous general.

At that moment, she couldn't believe her eyes. She rubbed them several times. When she checked carefully, she was shocked to find that Gu Simiao not only had light makeup on her face, but also some exquisite jewelry.

Obviously in the past, even if he traveled in casual clothes, he would simply tie up his conspicuous long silver-white hair with a black hair tie.

Cang Yue, who had been single for 22 years, even had some doubts about whether the general had been possessed by some evil spirit after returning to Beijing. Why was he so abnormal? He was completely different from when he was in Huangzhou.

"what happened?"

Seeing her stunned, Gu Simiao couldn't help but asked curiously.

"what?"

Cang Yue came to her senses instantly.

"I'm sorry, General. I was thinking about something just now and got a little distracted. Please punish me, General."

"It doesn't matter." Gu Simiao waved her hand, not doubting that he was there, but asked her to quickly tell her guards to prepare their horses.

Cang Yue nodded, bowed in response, then gathered her mind, shook away the messy thoughts in her mind, and then turned around and left.

As she walked, she clenched her fists inexplicably, and secretly made up her mind to ask for leave from Gu Simiao later and find an excuse to go to the county government residence for a while to see what the general was up to every time he returned to the capital.

Anyway, the military affairs of the Forbidden Army are now on the right track, and it is not impossible to be without her and Gu Simiao in a short period of time. After all, Xuanfeng, an experienced Confucian general, is still there, so nothing can go wrong.

...............

Luojing, Ziji City, Taiji Hall.

early morning.

"See Your Majesty!"

All the ministers and officials bowed and saluted the empress.

The empress raised her hand.

"Your honor is free."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After the daily process was over, Lu Chen stood up before anyone else could do anything.

"Your Majesty, I have something to announce."

Seeing him suddenly coming out of the queue after being silent for a long time, everyone couldn't help but look stern and became nervous subconsciously. Some courtiers even looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

The queen nodded.

"Please speak, Lu Qing."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Lu Chen straightened up slowly, looked at the wat tablet in his hand, and then said with a serious face: "Your Majesty, regarding the application and development of charcoal, after the unremitting efforts of [-] officials from the Tiangong Department, a device that can refine charcoal has now been developed. , a special potion that will not produce poisonous smoke when burned, and it has been determined that its potion can be mass-produced..."

Without any precaution, Lu Chen just released a bombshell.

As the saying goes, if you don't scream, it will be enough. After a long silence, he spoke again, and what he said was as shocking as ever.

Everyone felt doubtful about life on the spot.

Carboniferous development?
Burning charcoal without producing toxic fumes? !

The next moment, almost all the courtiers looked at Lu Chen with wide eyes and shock.

Especially Wu Yue, the Minister of Household Affairs, was completely stunned at this time.

Special potion?

A special potion that can remove poisonous smoke from coal? !
This...this is a priceless treasure!

Tiangong Division...really created such a magical and priceless treasure? !

As the court's moneybag, he was extremely keen on money. He almost instinctively realized the extraordinary qualities of the special potion that Lu Chen mentioned.

After realizing this, his breathing suddenly became rapid.

Lu Chen continued: "Through rigorous testing, all officials of the Tiangong Division unanimously determined that the refined and shaped coal can be put into use on a large scale. It only needs to be paired with a special furnace designed and developed by the Tiangong Division. Moreover, due to the huge coal reserves in various places and the extremely low cost of raw materials, Your Majesty cares about the people and can sell the coal at a low price to Baixin for daily use. If so, countless people of our Great Xia Dynasty will no longer suffer from the cold winter. "

As soon as she finished speaking, the empress nodded directly.

"Okay, let's handle this matter according to Lu Qing's wishes."

"On behalf of all the people of the world, I would like to thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!"

Lu Chen bowed heavily towards the empress.

Seeing that Lu Chen and the Empress were treating each other like a monarch and a minister, and they had settled such an important matter as the price of coal while talking and laughing, Wu Yue felt his heart tremble and his heart throb.

Even his breathing became much faster.

Although Lu Chen had turned decay into miraculous means several times before, he was vaguely aware that there might be something strange about this charcoal matter that he didn't expect.

He also heard from time to time that Lu Chen "didn't do his job properly" and stayed in the Tiangong Division all day hanging around with those crooked cultivators who delved into strange skills and tricks, and he felt more and more wrong.

But when all the uneasiness and ominous premonitions turned into reality, he still felt dizzy.

After reacting, I felt so heartbroken that I couldn't breathe.

Oh my God, did I miss the chicken that lays golden eggs?
In his mind, an inexplicable picture emerged of Lu Chen proposing in the court more than a month ago to establish the Tiangong Department, funded by the Ministry of Household Affairs, and placed under the Ministry of Works, one of the six departments, with profits and losses linked to the Department of Household Affairs.

At that time, he refused without hesitation, and even did not hesitate to offend Lu Chen, a popular figure in the dynasty. He did not hesitate to argue with the empress, and finally saved a lot of expenses for the Ministry of Revenue.

Afterwards, many colleagues praised him for his loyalty to the country, his uprightness, his courage to speak up and his courage to resist, and he was an unparalleled national scholar.

but now
Unparalleled national warrior?I'm afraid it would be nice not to label him as someone who has harmed the country and the people, right? !

After the other courtiers reacted, they couldn't help but hold their breath.

This charcoal... If it is true as Lu Chen said, how many people would buy the charcoal...?

I'm afraid it's just wealthy families with a good family background, right?
What about the person whose family has a charcoal business?When the demand has suddenly dropped so much, how can they still put money in sacks every year when winter comes?

How do you dig coins out of the pockets of those ignorant people?

At this moment, it was clear that it was only the end of spring this year, but some people in the hall had a clear premonition that this winter would probably become extremely cold for them.

But even so, they still didn't dare to say a word.

After all, the Tiangong Division belongs directly to the emperor, and the people in the Tiangong Division are all ministers of the empress. The profits and losses of this yamen are only linked to the internal funds, that is, the empress's small treasury, and have nothing to do with the six departments.

It was purely the empress's private matter, how could they dare to say anything?

(End of this chapter)