V3.Chapter 82

Hearing Xiao Xiang's words, Xiao Yuan immediately stood up and poured the wine in the cup on the ground. Seeing this, everyone present also got up and followed suit.

Xiao Xiang sat down again, took up the second glass of wine and said to Xiao Yuan and the princes, "this time, the palace would also like to thank brother Erwang and the princes for their great help. Without your help, I'm afraid it will take a lot of work for the imperial court to calm the chaos of Hong Yuetian!"

Xiao Yuan and the princes hurriedly picked up the wine glass and said with a smile, "sister Xiang, the family doesn't have to say two more words!" "Yes, your royal highness is very polite."

Xiao Xiang smiled up and said, "dry!"

"Dry!"

The crowd drank up the wine in the cup. Putting down the cup, Xiao Xiang suddenly remembered something and said happily to Xiao Yuan and the princes, "by the way, there is another gift for you in this palace." As she spoke, she raised her hand and slapped twice.

Soon, a bodyguard approached from the outside, holding a square brocade box in his hand.

The bodyguard went all the way to Xiao Xiang, then put the brocade box on the table and bowed back. With a smile on her face, Xiao Xiang patted the lid of the brocade box, looked at the princes, smiled and asked, "do you know what's in it?"

What Xiao Xiang can show off in public must be rare treasures. The princes smiled and guessed everything, but Xiao Xiang always shook her head to show that they were wrong.

Finally, Xiao Yuan said with a smile, "sister Xiang, don't sell off any more. Let's open our eyes!"

"OK! Now that brother Wang has spoken, come and have a look!" While talking, Xiao Xiang threw her head at the close guard.

The guard came forward and slowly took off the cover of the brocade box. At the moment of taking off the box cover, all the walls of the brocade box also spread out. Looking at the brocade box, it was not a treasure at all, but a pale and bloodless head.

Seeing that there was a broken head in the box, everyone present was startled, especially the princes. They were shocked at the same time, and several people cried out.

Xiao Yuan jumped up and stared at Xiao Xiang without blinking. "What does Xiang Mei mean?"

Xiao Xiang smiled and looked down at the severed head on the table. Youyou said, "this is the leader of the chaotic Party Hong Yuetian. This thief is bold and reckless. He took his troops back to the capital privately and colluded with brother Wang to disrupt the imperial court. He is hateful and his heart can be killed. All the princes have made great contributions in the war to eliminate Hong Yuetian. Naturally, this palace wants to show you the results of this rebellion." As she spoke, her eyebrows tilted, glanced at Xiao Yuan, smiled and asked, "what does brother Erwang think sister Wang means?"

Xiao Yuan first looked at Xiao Xiang, then at the broken head on the table. He was silent for a long time. He laughed and sat back slowly. The princes present were more and more ugly. Unconsciously, they were all sweating.

Hong Yuetian's charge is established on any one of them. Today, Xiao Xiang can kill Hong Yuetian with such a charge, so tomorrow, she can get rid of herself with the same charge. It is absolutely impossible to say that the princes are not afraid.

At this time, Xiao Yi trembles and owes himself. He said, "Princess highness, old minister... The old minister intends to return the army to Changshan in the near future."

Before he finished speaking, Xiao Xiang looked up and smiled, waved her hand and said, "Uncle Wang, what's the hurry? Since we've all come to Zhaoyang, let's stay longer!"

Changshan Hou Xiao Yi and Xiao Xiang belong to the same family. In terms of seniority, he is indeed one generation higher than Xiao Xiang. It is right for the latter to call him Uncle Wang.

But Xiao Yi's whole heart shrank into a ball when she called, and the beads of sweat fell down hard. He didn't know what to say for a moment.

Xiao Xiang took back her eyes, and the conversation suddenly turned, He added: "recently, it has been a troubled time in China. The wind country is eyeing the country in the north, the Zhenren rebellion in the West and frequent floods in the south. Just yesterday, Lord Gao Yugao, the head of Xiuyang County, sent an urgent letter to the imperial court. Xiuyang county has been suffering from heavy rain for days and the flood of Tianjiang river. Now it has affected the whole territory of Xiuyang county. Please allocate money and food for disaster relief."

The princes didn't understand why Xiao Xiang suddenly talked about the disaster in Xiuyang County, and the monk couldn't figure it out. Xiao Yuan turned his eyes and then said, "Xiangmei, but now the Treasury is empty and not enough for disaster relief?"

After listening to his words, the princes suddenly realized that Xiao Xiang was taking advantage of herself, but then again, as long as you can keep your head, what is the loss of money and food? Hou Shan Yi, Chang Shan, first came out and said, "Your Royal Highness needs no worry. Since it is difficult for the imperial court, I shall be very helpful." After a little pause, he immediately said: "Weichen is willing to give five... 800000 liang of silver to relieve the victims of Xiuyang County!"

As soon as his voice fell, some princes rose up one after another to express their positions. People scrambled one by one, and there were 500000 Liang at least.

Xiao Xiang laughed, He said: "thank you. First of all, I would like to thank all the princes for their help. However, the imperial court can still afford the money and food for the relief of the affected people. The reason why I raise this matter here is that disaster relief alone is a temporary cure rather than a permanent cure. Every rainy season in the south of China, there are floods, disaster every year, and disaster relief every year, which consumes too much money, food and national strength of our country."

"The highness of your princess means..."

"Repair the canal!" Xiao Xiang zhengse said: "build a large canal between the Tianjiang River and the monk River to lead the water of the Tianjiang River to the Shangjiang river. In this way, it not only solves the concern that the Tianjiang river is prone to flooding, but also solves the hidden worry that the Shangjiang river is drying up day by day. This is not only a matter for the benefit of the people of both places, but also the last wish of the former king in the future!"

When the princes heard the speech, they all took a breath. The Tianjiang River and the monk River are the two largest water systems in the south of Sichuan. As Xiao Xiang said, the place where the Tianjiang river flows through is rainy and flooding is common, while the Shangjiang river is gradually drying up, and many tributaries have disappeared.

If we can dig a large canal between the Tianjiang River and the monk River, it is certainly good. We can lead the excess water of the Tianjiang River to the Shangjiang river with insufficient water source. However, the distance between the two rivers is more than a thousand miles. To connect the two rivers, it needs to be a large project and consume more manpower and financial resources, which can not be solved by millions or tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Even when Xiao Xuan was alive, he only dared to think about it. At best, he took the idea to the court to grind his teeth with the ministers, but did not dare to really implement it. Now, it sounds like Xiao Xiang has the intention of digging a "Tianshang canal".

All the princes thought it was too unreliable, but no one dared to stand up and express opposition or doubt. They could not protect themselves. How dare they openly oppose Xiao Xiang.

Seeing that all the princes hung their heads and remained silent, Xiao Xiang frowned slowly and asked suspiciously, "why, do all the princes disapprove of digging the Tianshang canal? Are they unwilling to fulfill the last wish of the former king?"

Listening to her question, everyone's body shivered, and hurriedly looked up and said, "no, no, no, the princess has misunderstood. This is a great good for the people of southern China. How can they oppose it?"

Xiao Xiang finally showed a smile on her face and said, "so, all Hou Ye support this palace's resolution?"

"Exactly!"

"But just verbal support is not enough!" Xiao Xiang said slowly.

Knowing what she meant, Xiao Yi hated her heart and grated, and said, "to help the Royal Highness fulfill her last wish, the old minister... The old minister wishes to contribute... Three million and two!"

The back three million Liang was squeezed out of Xiao Yi's teeth, and his face turned purple with sauce. He had already donated out of pocket.

He said he would donate 3 million Liang. The other princes were secretly scolding their mothers. You shouted 3 million Liang at once. What should you say?

The princes hardened their heads and shouted out an astronomical figure that even they could not accept.

Looking at the princes who were cut like meat, Xiao Xiang smiled in her heart, but she didn't show it on her face. She shook her head reluctantly and said, "now the Treasury is sufficient, isn't it silver!"

"Then... But food shortage?"

"Ha ha!" Xiao Xiang laughed and said, "the land in Sichuan is fertile. When was there a shortage of grain?"

"I don't know... What does the imperial court lack now?"

"People!" Xiao Xiang narrowed her eyes, Youyou said: "What our country needs most now is labor! As long as we have enough labor, it will be easy to dig the Tianshang canal. You princes should know that our country is suffering from internal and external troubles, so we can't transfer so much labor to dig the Tianshang canal. The idea of our palace is that your family army can be temporarily lent to the imperial court, and we can wait until the imperial court completes the Tianshang canal What do you think of returning the family army to the princes? "

Ah? When Xiao Xiang finished, the faces of the princes and even Xiao Yuan changed greatly.

It turned out that this was the purpose of Xiao Xiang's banquet. She didn't want to kill the princes, nor did she want to extort a sum of money and food from the princes, but to steal the military power in the hands of the princes. It is rare that she should have found such a high sounding reason.

"Princess highness, this... This..." Xiao Yi instinctively stood up, looked at Xiao Xiang, hesitated to know what to say is good. The family army is their lifeblood. It is the capital accumulated by each family over decades or even hundreds of years. Now Xiao Xiang lion asks them to contribute all the family army and pull them to the Tianjiang and Shangjiang areas as labor force to dig the Tianshang canal. How can they accept it?

Looking at Xiao Yi standing there with an uncertain face, and then looking at the other princes with similar expressions as him, Xiao Xiang smiled and didn't speak. She just picked up a chopstick and seemed to have ulterior motives and casually tap Hong Yuetian's broken head on the table.