Mein erster Ehemann nach der Transmigration

Kapitel 53

Just wondering, is anyone here with extra pink votes?

Uh, it seems not. Well, I'll just weakly crawl over there.

Chapter Seventeen, Overseas Assignment

The propaganda function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join us now!!! There's a word: decisive and ruthless. There's another word: stifling. A common saying is, "A single spark can start a prairie fire." When he said this, although the courtiers couldn't look up, they could all feel the intense vigilance and the absolute dominance of someone who wouldn't tolerate another sleeping soundly beside their bed.

Although he frequented brothels in his youth, this did not mean he was an emperor steeped in the ways of the common people. He could kill a concubine he had favored for over a decade overnight for unknown reasons, or use the reason that the crown prince's response to a policy question was "not to my liking" to forbid his son from leaving the palace for three months. He could even accompany the Empress Dowager to the opera in the morning, instruct the imperial physicians to take good care of his mother's health, and after assuring the Empress Dowager that he would not disobey her wishes, issue an edict that evening to swiftly arrest and strip his uncle of his title, honors, salary, and even his property and life.

Rather than being wise, he was more accurately described as a decisive and ruthless emperor. His actions often caught both civil and military officials off guard; a small sign would often be followed by a sudden, major upheaval. Sometimes it was reform, sometimes the abolition of certain systems, and sometimes some far-fetched ideas.

However, all of these were based on unwavering resolve and absolute power.

This is a very extreme and resolute theory of centralized power. Or perhaps it has been assimilated into a very resolute and extreme theory of centralized power. Many retired officials privately recalled that when the emperor was young, he was cautious and meticulous in his actions, proceeding step by step. However, as he grew older, he became more and more daring to take bold action, displaying a completely magnanimous and ambitious spirit.

It's hard to predict what would happen if he found out about other time travelers in this world.

He Su gave a wry smile. "I know there will be danger, but I really want to do something. A scholar is useless in a hundred ways, and a scholar preparing for the imperial examination is utterly useless. Cultivating oneself, regulating one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world—none of these truly promote substantial social progress. I want to do something truly useful, not just pass the imperial examination or become an official. I think I can use my existing knowledge to do something, not expecting to promote social development or anything like that, as long as it can help people's practical lives, that will be enough."

Su Chen lowered his head, thought for a moment, and replied with a wry smile, "Have you heard those time-travel stories? They used to be widely circulated jokes."

"There's a female version who time-travels and wakes up to find herself inside a red-curtained bedchamber, where a handsome and imposing man is undressing before her dragon bed. She steals a glance at herself in the bronze mirror and sees herself as stunningly beautiful and with a sexy figure. Composing herself, she discovers she remembers countless poems and songs and is skilled in hundreds of ways to cook beef jerky. Full of ambition, she plans to go to the palace when a eunuch rushes in with a panicked report: 'The Imperial Guards have mutinied! Lord Yang Guozhong has been killed!'" She pauses, then continues, "There's also a male version. He time-travels back and feels an inexplicable, overwhelming aura of royalty within him. Opening his eyes, he sees a plate of meat pies in front of him, their aroma enticing. Feeling hungry, he begins to devour them. Just as he's enjoying his meal, an envoy beside him smiles and asks, 'Lord Xibo, is the meat pie His Majesty bestowed upon you to your liking?'"

She spoke at a great pace, very slowly and in great detail, perhaps because He Su Shi hadn't heard or understood her. "If you want to hear more, I can keep going. I still remember a dozen or twenty stories like this. I found them very interesting back then. Brother, do you find them interesting?"

This time, she didn't call him He Sushi. Instead, she called him "brother."

The man addressed as "brother" answered without hesitation, "I know. I know the danger. But don't you think this is an excellent opportunity? The He family mansion just burned down. If I manage to develop something, it probably won't be particularly eye-catching. Because of the time constraints, I'll likely only be able to provide a preliminary model. I'll remove anything too modern, leaving only a rough draft. I'll try to involve the craftsmen. If he's still hesitant after that, then there's really no other way."

In the end, they still haven't given up...

"Absolutely? He Su Shi. What exactly do you want?" Su Chen felt a bit oppressed. This was definitely not a safe matter. From any perspective, she didn't want her so-called brother to excel too much in this area. Although Emperor Huizong encouraged his people to research new tools and things, it didn't mean he wanted to see someone who was also a time traveler. To be honest, she had a lot of doubts about Emperor Huizong.

Comparatively speaking, she would rather he take the imperial examination and become an official! Within the realm of common understanding, even if he were to plagiarize or copy, being careful would be better than being a scientist in the Northern Song Dynasty. Not everyone can be like Shen Kuo!

“I’m different from you. I’m a man.” He Su’s tone was anything but relaxed. “Don’t deny it. Things are different now than in modern times. As a noble lady, you’ll have a tough time, but if nothing unexpected happens, you’ll eventually get married, have children, and live a somewhat mundane but absolutely secure life. Even if your husband’s family is unsettled, Grandma and He Ziyuan won’t let you suffer. But I’m different. As a man, if I can’t control my own future, if I can’t have a future, even if I can forgive myself, I won’t be able to stand on my own two feet.”

His not-so-thick brows furrowed. "I don't want to rely on connections to continue being a spoiled brat. I want to fight for my own future." He looked up at Su Chen. "Don't say I'm being sarcastic. This is the truth."

"So you're in such a hurry to get this done? If you really need it, could you wait a few months? Have He Ziyuan hire a few well-known..."

Even if it's just to make a show of coming back, do you think Mingchuang is some kind of make-believe game? It's all about procedures and processes.

“We can’t delay any longer. He Ziyuan will be sent abroad in a few days, and we don’t know when he will be back.” He Sushi replied calmly, as if he were talking about something that was not important. “At the latest, we can only have him submit it by the beginning of next month.”

"Are you kidding me?! He Ziyuan is being sent on a mission?! Isn't his heart still not healed?!" Su Chen stood up in surprise and asked urgently, "How could he be sent on a mission? Didn't he retire and stop getting involved in the power struggles in the capital?! How could he be sent on a mission again?!"

"The saltworks workers in Sichuan went on strike and surrounded the prefectural government office. It's said they haven't been paid for over half a year. In Xinzhou, the copper output from Qianshan has been only a fraction of what it was a few years ago, and the gold mining quota from Dengzhou is decreasing. In Qizhou, Hedong, officials distributed fifteen-year-old, rotten wine lees to various counties, towns, and village inns, inciting public anger. This year's field investigation envoy was hastily recalled by Emperor Huizong. Without suitable cheap labor, they had to put He Ziyuan in place." He Su Shi's expression was grave. "His health is really no longer suitable for traveling around."

How could things have gotten so chaotic? Wasn't it supposed to be a time of peace and prosperity? Su Chen couldn't help but ask, "According to you, shouldn't the Song Dynasty under Emperor Huizong have been doing quite well?"

“This is already considered a peaceful and prosperous era,” He Su replied. “The territory is too vast, and there are always places that cannot be seen. If it weren’t for secret agents sending messages in, who would notice such things happening so far away? Recently, the capital has been in great turmoil, and those outside are taking the opportunity to skim off the top. The Dengzhou gold mine has always been a major source of revenue for the court. If the annual income continues to decrease, we will have to raise taxes, otherwise many things cannot be completed in time. But the current taxes are already heavy enough, and if we add more, I'm afraid it will be unbearable for people.”

He sighed, “A strong government and heavy taxes are often the same thing. Emperor Huizong wanted to reform, and after much effort, he reduced many taxes and used his newly established industries to make money. He was absolutely unwilling to let anything go wrong.”

The thought of He Ziyuan leaving again made Su Chen feel a little sad.

Although I didn't see him often, I always felt that He Ziyuan was truly suffering. His body really couldn't bear any more burden. His pale face, gentle demeanor, and ever-present warm smile made him the image of a scholarly uncle who easily won one's favor. Yet, after only a short time together, I was about to lose him again.

Seeing that she wouldn't speak, He Su Shi didn't bring it up again. Actually, it wasn't that simple.

The workers at the Sichuan saltworks hadn't received their wages, but they had disappeared. The output of the Dengzhou gold mine had been steadily increasing, but the amount of finished gold sent to the capital had been decreasing significantly year by year, meaning that a large portion of the successfully smelted gold had vanished.

Dengzhou was a huge mine, where Emperor Huizong of Song planted countless mines. But what about other mines that weren't as large? In recent years, the court's revenue had been declining. Emperor Huizong had only managed to reduce agricultural land taxes after more than a decade of reforms. The court funded the operation of mines, tea plantations, salt fields, and other industries, barely managing to stabilize the deficit. If this continued, the balance would soon be broken.

This was what he found most intolerable, which is why he forced He Ziyuan to investigate almost without giving him a chance to refuse. Ultimately, he didn't trust many people, and among those he trusted, even fewer were truly capable.

However, neither He Suchen nor He Suchi had considered the connection between this incident and the fire at the He residence. They only thought about the political infighting, completely unaware that the thief who broke into He Ziyuan's study was not only trying to disrupt the study, but also attempting to find out if He Ziyuan had left anything important inside.

On the day of the grand banquet, Emperor Huizong of Song had a private conversation with He Ziyuan. The next day, before the night was even over at home, they took action. The fire at He's residence was not merely a deterrent, nor was it simply a blow to the Crown Prince's faction; rather, it was a warning to He Ziyuan about certain things.

That's why Emperor Huizong sent the cavalry to guard the He residence. This wasn't to save face for the Crown Prince's faction, but rather to remind some people he knew well and to genuinely consider He Ziyuan's safety.

The amount of money that disappeared could probably buy ten He Ziyuan's lives.

However, it was precisely this incident that made Emperor Huizong realize that he had to intervene. After letting things continue unchecked for so many years, regardless of whether the outcome would satisfy him, if this infighting continued, the court would truly descend into chaos.

=The following word count is not included in the charge.

This chapter is some background information, it's a bit dry, sorry~

A friend pointed out a major error: Tang's mother shouldn't be called Tang's mother; she should be called He's mother. A woman takes her husband's surname after marriage.

Several friends have raised similar questions a long time ago, but this story has been revised and rewritten many times, and I really don't dare to start from scratch again. Tang's mother appears too frequently and in too many places; I'm sure if I were to revise it from the beginning, I would definitely miss many places where she would still be written as Tang's mother. Moreover, if I were to make changes, I feel that not only I, but everyone else would also be a bit confused.

I'm really sorry... it's clearly an error. But I think it's better to stick with Tang's mother. Everyone knows about this bug, so is it okay to ignore it?

Thanks to NightlyDeep for pointing out the bug~~

Uh… I really am shameless… (To be continued. For more chapters, please support &C!)

I don't feel well, so I'll continue tonight... (Attached is a free 3000-word introduction)

I'm feeling unwell, with a headache and dizziness. I might not be able to update until tonight.

Here's a free 3000-word introduction. It's a short piece I wrote a long time ago.

Western fantasy. All male protagonists. The writing style is a bit contrived. Enter if you're interested!