noveltune Chapter 2 Quack Doctor, Recruiting Refugees
Chapter 2 Quack Doctor, Recruiting Refugees
Zhu Youjian dragged his weary body into the purple light.
A mosaic flashed before my eyes.
When he opened his eyes, he had already arrived in the Minecraft world.
Familiar oak wood, familiar grass blocks.
The familiar coffin hut.
Zhu Youjian did not stop.
He opened the door and entered the wooden house. The flames of burning coal in the furnace flickered. Zhu Youjian took out the iron that had been smelted in the furnace.
He made an iron pickaxe.
Zhu Youjian glanced at the items in the inventory.
There's only one iron pickaxe; it seems I need to mine more iron.
Make the iron armor and shield.
Otherwise, their lives cannot be guaranteed.
At this moment, Zhu Youjian glanced at a zombie trapped inside a house not far away.
So, taking advantage of the daylight, I went out.
As darkness fell, we returned here.
In the process, more than twenty pieces of coal, a set of stones, and two pieces of iron ore appeared in my inventory.
Over the next three days.
He goes out during the day and returns in the evening.
When I could no longer bear it, I returned to the real world.
Just as Zhu Youjian returned to his study.
Then I saw a person standing beside me.
When Zhu Youjian returned, the man hurriedly stepped forward, draped a robe over him, and brought him a basin of water, asking with concern, "Your Majesty, you went out again?"
Zhu Youjian wiped his face and washed his hands.
"With the ancestral tombs destroyed, the imperial court had no money or supplies to organize an army. Without money and supplies, it was impossible to move an inch."
"I need a lot of money and grain."
In my world.
Whether it's wood, soil, or iron ore, they are all resources, and they are all money.
The national treasury has long since collapsed, tax revenue is not coming up, and the military is needed to rebuild the fiscal system.
Maintaining an army requires money and provisions, which must be obtained either from the people or from scholars and merchants.
The people's wealth is exhausted, and it is necessary to be cautious in getting scholars and merchants to part with their money.
Even though the wood is rotten, it's still better than having no support at all.
Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang was able to launch the Guo Huan case, killing a large number of corrupt officials, seizing the wealth of wealthy merchants, and replenishing the national treasury.
However, Emperor Taizu relied on his control over the middle and lower-ranking military officers.
Although Zhu Yuanzhang was not friendly to meritorious officials, he treated his lower-ranking soldiers very well.
This was one of the reasons why Zhu Yuanzhang dared to launch the Lan Yu case.
But I do not have that kind of prestige.
As he spoke, the eunuch knelt down on the ground with a thud.
"Your Majesty, this old servant knows your heart is set on serving the country, but that world is too dangerous!"
"A single misstep could lead to death! Your Majesty must not risk your life again!"
Wang Chengen, his personal eunuch, was also one of the few trusted confidants in the palace.
"Even if His Majesty is going, he should bring guards with him. How can he risk his life alone?"
Zhu Youjian gazed at Wang Chengen and murmured softly, "Guards? In this court, how many are truly loyal to me?"
Regardless of their loyalty, the troops stationed in the capital would be lucky if they weren't killed by zombies.
Not to mention asking them to risk their lives to protect themselves.
Those who desperately protect themselves are unwilling to expend their energy; those who don't desperately protect themselves are useless.
Wang Chengen, aware of Zhu Youjian's suspicions, continued, "This old servant can bring the Directorate of Ceremonial to protect Your Majesty!"
Zhu Youjian chuckled lightly at this.
"When you saw the zombies, you were all so frightened that you couldn't move. If it weren't for me, you would have been dead inside long ago."
Actually, he took Wang Chengen to my world.
The first time I took them there.
He brought Wang Chengen and four other trusted eunuchs with him.
The five people were so frightened by the sight of the zombies that they couldn't move.
They ran around aimlessly, and as a result, three of them died inside.
A villager infected by zombies and turned into a zombie villager, the one locked in the wooden house.
If I hadn't protected Wang Chengen, Wang Chengen would have died too.
Only after that did he understand.
In Minecraft, you cannot resurrect after dying, unlike in the game.
Each person has only one life.
"But His Majesty deals with state affairs during the day, and then risks his life to go out and cause trouble in the evening."
Even if you are blessed by God and nothing bad happens to you.
"But how can your body withstand such exertion?"
Zhu Youjian calmly comforted him, saying, "I know what I'm doing; let's not talk about it anymore."
"By the way, inform the Ministry of Rites that the ancestral mausoleum has been destroyed. I will go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices in two days to comfort the spirits of my ancestors in heaven."
Wang Chengen hesitated, his tone slightly low.
"Yes……"
After Wang Chengen left, Zhu Youjian picked up the memorial on the imperial desk.
Looking at what was written there, a glint of light flashed in Zhu Youjian's eyes, and he murmured softly.
"Refugees".
……
Two days later.
Zhu Youjian, accompanied by his civil and military officials, arrived at the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
Looking at the portrait of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Youjian knelt down in front of the portrait with a thud.
Immediately following was a tearful lament.
"I have heard that the imperial mausoleum in Fengyang has been completely destroyed, and the ancestral tombs were burned and looted by the traitor Zhang Xianzhong. Dressed in mourning clothes and barefoot, I weep blood and beat my heart! This is not merely the destruction of bricks, stones, and vegetation; it is the digging up of the very foundation of my Ming Dynasty and the dishonoring of my ancestors in the netherworld..."
As the courtiers witnessed this scene, they all said, "Your Majesty, please accept our condolences."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Youjian closed his eyes and collapsed.
This scene terrified Wang Chengen, Zhang Fengyi, and the others standing nearby.
"His Majesty!"
After a quarter of an hour, the imperial physician took the patient's pulse, his brow furrowed.
Then I went outside.
Grand Secretary Wen Tiren, Zhang Fengyi, Hou Xun, and others gathered around to inquire about Zhu Youjian's condition.
"Imperial Physician Li, what's wrong with His Majesty? Why did he suddenly faint?"
Imperial Physician Li sighed deeply: "His Majesty was so grief-stricken by the destruction of the ancestral tombs that his heart meridian was damaged, which is why he fainted."
Upon hearing this, the ministers reacted with varying expressions.
Wen Tiren quickly asked, "Is there any way to treat this?"
Imperial Physician Li shook his head: "I prescribed some tonics for His Majesty. As for whether he can recover, that depends on fate."
Upon hearing this, Guang Shiheng immediately rebuked, "Zhang Fengyi, if the ancestral tombs hadn't been destroyed, His Majesty wouldn't be so angry! If anything were to happen to His Majesty, you would be held responsible!"
Zhang Fengyi snorted coldly.
"Am I to blame? If the Ministry of Revenue hadn't been constantly complaining about not having enough money, I would have been given six months to quell the internal strife! Otherwise, how could the ancestral tombs have been destroyed?"
"Doesn't the Ministry of Revenue bear any responsibility?"
……
Just as the argument was raging outside...
Zhu Youjian slowly sat up.
He glanced outside and muttered softly, "Quack doctor."
She couldn't even tell whether she was truly fainting or faking it.
No wonder the emperor was ill and incurable.
These imperial physicians have absolutely no medical skills.
Wang Chengen then handed over a black robe.
"Your Majesty, everything is ready. No one will notice your departure for a while."
Zhu Youjian put on a black robe.
"Have you uncovered the matter I asked you to investigate?"
Wang Chengen produced a memorial to the throne.
"The country is suffering from a severe drought, and refugees are everywhere, with the majority concentrated in the Anhui and Henan areas."
"Since Zhang Xianzhong and others rebelled, refugees have responded to the call and fled to the places where the rebels were located. The number of refugees around the capital has decreased significantly. As Your Majesty instructed, I have already investigated the matter."
"In Liangxiang, a small number of refugees still linger."