novelSusiti Chapter 24 How can people know sweetness if they don't suffer?
Chapter 24 How can people know sweetness if they don't suffer?
A dozen days later, in the royal palace of the Yu Kingdom in Jinling. The scenery in the palace is always so magnificent, and everyone is playing a fixed role, piling up fixed expressions, and walking with fixed steps. It was like this in the past, it is like this now, and it should not change in the future.
Princess Li Lizhi of the State of Yu, newly decorated, was ordered to come to the emperor's bedchamber.
Emperor Li Jing was processing memorials and reports from various regions when he heard Li Lizhi's footsteps enter. Without waiting for her to greet him, he said without even raising his head, "Kneel down."
Li Lizhi skillfully knelt down to beg for forgiveness; "Your daughter was confused for a moment and made your father worry."
Hearing the word "father," Li Jing's heart softened. So many children called him "Father Emperor," valuing nothing more than the title "Emperor."
Since returning to the palace, Li Lizhi has never competed or fought for anything. She even cultivated a vegetable garden in her own palace and harvested the produce herself, and she has always addressed her father as such.
Her unique behavior made Li Jing, who had come from a chaotic era, value her highly. He even lamented his own misfortune, as his only hardworking descendant was his daughter, who was unwilling to study. How harsh Heaven had been on him!
Because he cherished this daughter and felt sorry for the hardships she had endured outside for several years, Li Jing paid extra attention to her.
This attentiveness aroused collective jealousy among the princes and princesses, who felt that this girl was an outsider who had stolen their father's favor as soon as she arrived.
So they targeted her in every way, especially her farming in the palace. Everyone mocked her, but her father slapped them in the face.
One day, the Emperor came to Li Lizhi's palace and saw her small figure busy in the garden. Li Jing took off his outer garment, leaving only his short clothes, and despite the objections of the surrounding servants, picked up farm tools from the side and walked into the vegetable garden.
Under Li Lizhi's surprised gaze, she skillfully tended to the vegetables in the garden. Through this vegetable garden, Li Jing found a warm father-daughter relationship with his daughter, and made his other sons and daughters dare not speak out against Li Lizhi's vegetable gardening.
The various atmospheres unfolding in the palace ultimately fueled Li Lizhi's disgust and aversion to the imperial palace, leading to her decision to run away from home.
Li Jing didn't continue the conversation, but instead asked, "How's the village? Is that old elm tree still there?"
Li Lizhi answered honestly, "Father, the old elm tree is still there, and it still produces some elm seeds for the village every year to help them through famine. No one dares to harm it, and the villagers even worship it during festivals."
Li Jing's eyes were filled with memories. When he was a child, his parents were still alive, and he would pray every year that the old elm tree would bear more leaves so that they could have an extra meal.
Li Jing then asked each of the village's elderly residents again. Some families were still alive, while others had disappeared for various reasons. Li Jing concluded his questioning of his hometown with a heavy heart; "Do you know your mistake?"
Li Lizhi honestly admitted, "My daughter knows she was wrong."
Li Jing asked again, "Where did we go wrong?"
Li Lizhi said in a low voice, "Leaving without saying goodbye and causing Father worry is unfilial. The journey is long and arduous, and the hasty departure and repeated hardships have caused Father concern, which is also unfilial. Returning home at great risk may expose our ancestral homeland, which is also unfilial. My sins are grave."
After questioning her for a while, Li Jing's anger had subsided considerably. Hearing his daughter's apology, he snorted.
"Get up, you're so young, don't put yourself on the label of being unfilial so easily. Since ancient times, the world has been governed by filial piety. Unfilial people are worse off than dead, despised by all people, and even their fathers dare not touch this label. But you, you keep wearing it endlessly."
"You've already left, you've already seen it all. Thankfully, our ancestors protected you and you've returned safely. Tell your father about the situation in Jiangbei. The news from here is mixed, good and bad. Your father wants to hear your version of events."
Li Lizhi was about to tell her father about the tragic situation in Jiangbei: "I dare not deceive you, Father. The situation in Jiangbei is dire, and the people are in turmoil. It is extremely dangerous."
Having lived through turbulent times, Li Jing laughed and said, "The common people have never been at peace. You, a little girl, traveled alone and survived to reach Chuzhou entirely thanks to the protection of your ancestors. Don't think that the sky is falling just because there are some petty bandits."
Li Lizhi pleaded:
"Jiangbei suddenly experienced a salt shortage, and unscrupulous merchants hoarded and speculated, causing salt prices to skyrocket. As salt prices rose, all other prices rose, plunging the people into hardship, and bandits multiplied tenfold. In the past, bandits mostly extorted money from villages and communities, but now they readily destroy villages and kill people, just to steal more money, food, and salt. Father, your daughter has entered several villages that have been massacred. The devastation is indescribable. These bandits are definitely not seeking money in a normal way; they have gone mad."
Li Jing suddenly woke up with a start, and with a pained expression, he got up from his seat and went to his daughter's side, looking her up and down: "You, you, you, you, you are too reckless! A village that has been massacred, who knows what kind of ominous things are inside, how could you go in! You are too outrageous, you are too bold."
Li Lizhi's eyes reddened; "Nothing is more ominous than a massacre in broad daylight. Wherever I went, there were shadows of soldiers and bandits in the villages, and the people were living in fear. Father, the people were in turmoil, and even some government soldiers disguised themselves as river bandits to burn, kill, and plunder."
Li Jing took a deep breath: "Do you know where these soldiers came from?"
Li Lizhi nodded: "They are garrison soldiers from Sizhou. Not only are their weapons marked with inscriptions, but they also have the Sizhou army tattoo on their bodies."
This is what made Li Jing so anxious and concerned: even the army was involved in looting, which showed that the collapse of civilian order was quite serious. If no measures were taken soon, the defense line of Lianghuai would probably be finished.
Li Jing made up his mind that the time had come to quell the chaos in Lianghuai. He should take advantage of this opportunity to thoroughly rectify the situation in Lianghuai, enforce military discipline and national laws, and let those people know that he, who had been on the throne for more than six years, was already a very authoritative emperor.
Suddenly, Li Jing thought of a question: "Wasn't that the guy who drove back the Sizhou soldiers, that Ji-ge? Uncle He said that young man was brave and handsome, very capable, and extremely strong. Why not bring him back so I can see him? Where is he from? How old is he? What kind of family does he come from? Does he have any siblings?"
Li Lizhi blushed instantly and stammered, "Yes, we just met by chance. Thanks to the brothers' help, they fought demons and monsters all the way to ensure my daughter's safe arrival in Chuzhou. They were also afraid something might happen to my daughter on the way, so Brother Ji escorted her back to the village."
Li Jing chuckled, "So my good daughter couldn't bear to see this young man killed by his father, and wanted to save his life, so she deliberately let him go before the army arrived?"
Li Lizhi knelt on the ground in a panic: "Yes, I cannot watch my savior die by my father's knife. I cannot let my father bear the infamy of killing my savior. From beginning to end, I have not spoken of my origins in the village, nor of my family's story. They don't even know that my surname is Li. Please, Father, have mercy and do not blame them."
Li Jing bent down and helped his daughter up: "He is your savior, and therefore our family's benefactor. Father, can't you tell good from bad? Quickly tell me where he lives, so I can go and find him. I think such a heroic young man is a good match for you."
Li Lizhi's flushed face held a hint of wariness: "My daughter was focused on returning to the village and didn't ask much about their background. She only knew their nicknames. People from the waterways often use aliases when they're away from home, so my daughter couldn't tell the real from the fake."
A glint flashed in Li Jing's eyes as he gradually released his daughter, amusedly saying, "Very well, you've suffered outside. As your father, I won't punish you any further. From today onwards, you will return to the palace and be confined for a month. You are not to leave your chambers. Reflect on your mistakes."
Li Lizhi nodded: "Your daughter will heed your teachings, Father. But what about the turmoil in Jiangbei?"
Li Jing smiled and said, "Don't worry, Father knows what he's doing. He'll order the relief efforts today."
Li Lizhi happily bid farewell and left.
Li Jing walked to the window, watching his daughter disappear through the palace gates. His smile faded, and he sighed, "A daughter is no longer meant to be kept at home. She's hiding it from her father for another man. Sending lanterns to the palace—someone, go and find out which families have sent lanterns to the palace."
Then, Li Jing sneered, "Some people are getting bolder and bolder. The army is already unstable, yet they still dare to deceive me. Do they really think my sword is not sharp enough? Men, proceed according to plan and transport grain and salt to Jiangbei. I will crush those parasites who hoard salt at high prices."
Indeed, Emperor Li Jing was not foolish; he had long anticipated the consequences of salt shortages in Jiangbei. He actively procured grain and salt from Jiangnan and stockpiled them in military camps and transport depots near Jingkou.
When Jiangbei is plunged into dire straits, Emperor Li Jing of Yu will reappear before his people as a savior, earning their heartfelt gratitude. After all, how can you know sweetness without suffering?
When grain and salt ships from Jiangnan continuously entered the Huai River region, the prices of salt, grain, and other commodities quickly fell.
The State of Yu launched an anti-corruption campaign in Jiangbei, uncovering over a hundred corrupt and tyrannical officials. A high-ranking general was dispatched to inspect the armies north of the Yangtze River, and those officers who had allowed their soldiers to plunder during the upheaval were punished. The army was immediately disciplined and its discipline was excellent.
After inspecting and purging the various armies, this important general transformed himself into the military governor of Qinghuai Army in Shouzhou, taking command of the strongest army of Yu State north of the Yangtze River to fight against the Northern Dynasty.
What the people of Guangling should especially celebrate is that Prince Qi, Li Da, was unable to maintain his position in Jiangbei due to his involvement in price gouging and the sale of salt, and his allowing the Jiangbei armies to plunder the people. As a result, he was recalled to Jinling by the imperial court and left to his idle post.
His cronies also vanished in the successive anti-corruption storms. The dark clouds that had hung over the people of Guangling for four or five years were finally lifted by Jinling. Congratulations!
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In Li Xuan's house in the countryside of Guangling, Feng Niaoniao was delighted to hear that her brother-in-law had found a girl he liked. She busied herself preparing food and wine for them, constantly asking the two brothers about the girl.
Li Xuan chuckled, "Alright, alright, young ladies are very discreet when they're out and about. All she knows is that her home is in Jinling. I've left her my contact information from Jinling. As long as she still thinks of Ji Di after returning to Jinling and sends a message, I'll plan to propose marriage."
Li Ji feigned grievance and said, "Sister-in-law is so happy, she must have been tired of me just sitting at home eating."
Feng Niaoniao said irritably, "Yes, yes, yes, your sister-in-law is tired of you. Hurry up and get married, and then your new wife will make clothes for you."
Li Ji dared not admit it and quickly apologized to Feng Niaoniao.
That evening, Feng Niaoniao took out a locked box from her room, inside which were ledgers and contracts.
Li Xuan walked into the house and laughed as soon as he saw the contents: "Wife, things are still far from settled, and you're already counting your brother's assets? You're too impatient."
Feng Niaoniao said irritably:
"My younger brother is a good boy. We've known each other for many years without any misunderstandings. The most common problem between brothers has always been the division of family property. My younger brother's property originally belonged to his branch of the family, but because he was young, it was entrusted to you for safekeeping."
As the sister-in-law, I don't want to be associated with my brother-in-law's ill-gotten gains. The last leg of a journey is often the hardest; with my brother's bride about to marry into the family, I must make sure the exact amount is accounted for and handed over to her clearly, so that the couple doesn't feel wronged.
Li Xuan walked over and said, "Alright, I'll help you take stock. I've kept accounts of every penny of my income over the years, and everything is clear and transparent. It's all thanks to you, my wife."
Feng Niaoniao sighed, "When I first joined the family, Ji was only eleven years old and still quite childish. Now he's already finding his own wife. I thought he'd be stuck like that for a few more years."
Li Xuan said proudly, "That's right. My sons are very outstanding. It's normal for a young girl to be interested in Ji Di. If she isn't, she must be blind."
Feng Niaoniao shook her head, ignoring Li Xuan's vainness, and began to check the transactions bit by bit against the account books. Li Xuan assisted Feng Niaoniao, spreading out and checking all the original vouchers that had already been organized.
That evening, the couple not only tallied up the interest earned from Li Ji's assets over the years, but also the amount of gold and silver exchanged for silk and copper coins each time. They also took fifty taels of silver from their own savings and placed it in Li Ji's estate box as a wedding gift for him.
The next day, Feng Niaoniao asked Li Xuan to bring Li Ji over, and in front of him, she counted out the account books, contracts, and money one by one.
Li Ji felt as if he had been insulted, and he and Li Xuan got into a rare heated argument.
Li Xuan suppressed him with a flick of his hand:
"We belong to two separate households. The property was divided by our grandfather, and it should be clear and distinct, one thing for one thing, two things for two things. If you have any conscience, please understand how hard your sister-in-law has worked all these years."
You should cooperate with us and go through all the accounts properly. From now on, you'll be the head of the household; how can you act on emotion? This is an explanation to our ancestors, an explanation to your wife, and an explanation to your children.
Li Xuan played the bad cop, while Feng Niaoniao played the good cop. She criticized Li Xuan for speaking too harshly and told Li Ji that it was only natural for a new bride to take stock of the family property before entering the household, and that he shouldn't feel guilty. This stopped the brothers Li Xuan and Li Ji from arguing further.
Then they argued back and forth over the fifty taels of silver. This time, Feng Niaoniao slammed her hand on the table, and Li Ji shrank back, not daring to refute, and could only keep in mind the kindness his brother and sister-in-law had shown him.
Two days later, Feng Niaoniao urged Li Xuan and Li Ji to hurry to Jinling to find the Lychee Girl. She called on the villagers to come and help build a large house for Li Ji to live in as a separate household.
After all, the bride might come from a wealthy family, and they couldn't let her suffer if she married into the family. They even had to buy houses for Li Ji in Lijia Town and Guangling City, so that their family wouldn't be treated like country bumpkins and suffer during the marriage negotiations.