Yecheng.
The cold wind is picking up slightly, and flakes of snow are floating on the roof after it has just fallen.
In the pavilion of the palace garden, a pile of charcoal was burning in a cast-iron stove.
The bright red charcoal fire makes the surroundings warm and comfortable.
Liu Yu sat on the soft bearskin chair next to him and took a glass of wine.
The fragrant wine is most suitable for this kind of snow-watching weather.
"I wonder if there will ever be someone as talented as a catkin blowing up in the wind."
Liu Yu looked at the light snowflakes and couldn't help but sigh.
Xie Daoyun, the talented girl of the Eastern Jin Dynasty in history, would not be born for decades. Although the Xie family of Chen County today has a high reputation in Jiangdong, she has little power.
It is far from the scenery of later generations where both kings and lords are honored.
"What your Majesty said just now is truly of the highest quality."
The queen on the side laughed softly.
She knew that Liu Yu had never been good at poetry, nor did he like parallel prose.
I definitely don’t know where I heard the sentence about praising snow just now.
"A good sentence is a good sentence, but the snowflakes in our Yecheng are not comparable to catkins."
Liu Yu said with a smile.
The snowflakes Xie Daoyun saw were snowflakes from the south of the Yangtze River, and it was not bad to compare them with fluttering catkins.
But the snowflakes in Yecheng are often whistling from the northern scenery, and they are nothing like the soft catkins.
"Your Majesty, I heard that there was a snowstorm in Bingzhou just now. I wonder how the damage was?"
After the two chatted for a while, the Queen suddenly changed the topic and asked.
As soon as Liu Yu heard this, he knew Wang Ze's hidden thoughts.
He drank the wine in the glass and then said slowly.
"Wang Zan has already taken care of the situation as soon as he took office as governor of Bingzhou. It saves me the trouble of disaster relief."
When the queen heard this, she immediately felt happy.
Wang Zan came from the Wang family in Taiyuan and was the cousin of Queen Wang Ze.
Today's Wang family in Taiyuan has suffered great losses due to the fall of Wang Jun. Although its reputation is still the same, the only talented young people in the group are Wang Zan, Wang Chang and other people who were originally under the governor of Youzhou.
In addition, the other children of the Wang family in Taiyuan were disliked by Liu Yu because they were too pragmatic and refused to easily change their habit of advocating glitz.
Now Queen Wang Ze knows that whether the Wang family in Taiyuan is prosperous or not is the key to whether her son's position as crown prince is stable or not.
After all, there are now news that several palace maids are pregnant in Liu Yu's harem.
Some of the palace servants are from the Hongnong Yang family, the Yingchuan Xun family, the Bohai Gao family and other wealthy families, which are not inferior to those of the Taiyuan Wang family.
Of course Wang Ze would be anxious.
"However, Wang Zan thanked guests behind closed doors in Bingzhou. No matter whether they were relatives, friends or disciples, they were all missing. I really appreciate it." Liu Yu said lightly.
"Not at all?" After hearing this, Queen Wang Ze was immediately stunned.
Bingzhou is the hometown of the Wang family in Taiyuan.
Although the descendants of the Wang family in Taiyuan have spread all over the world after becoming officials, there are definitely many relatives and friends in their hometown in Bingzhou.
Even though they were harmed several times by the Huns, there were still many Wang family descendants from the side branches.
Wang Zan, the governor of Bingzhou, immediately received a large number of people asking for an audience as soon as he went to Jinyang to take over.
Most of them are descendants of the Taiyuan Wang family, or former disciples of the Taiyuan Wang family.
What everyone wants is nothing more than the right to recommend the governor of Bingzhou.
Since Liu Yu gradually abolished the power of conscripting states and counties, only high-ranking officials such as governors and governors have the power to recommend conquests.
As long as Wang Zan, the governor of Bingzhou, nods, all of these people will immediately become Han officials, and they will also be officials of high rank.
"Wang Zan is able to do practical things in Bingzhou and knows how to advance and retreat. He is really the pillar of your Wang family in Taiyuan." Liu Yu continued to praise.
At this point, Wang Ze already understood the meaning.
Wang Zan, the governor of Bingzhou, was a high-ranking official, but he did not see the old disciples. He was simply afraid of causing Liu Yu's resentment.
Now everyone in the world knows that the Taiyuan Wang family was at the height of its power in the Northern Dynasties.
There were not only Queen Wang Ze, but also Wang's nephew and crown prince Liu Zhi, two state envoys Wang Zan and Wang Chang, as well as dozens of generals, princes, and guardians.
If such a large and powerful group was placed in the hands of an ordinary emperor, it would have already aroused fear.
Not to mention letting Wang Zan return to his hometown to serve as governor of Bingzhou, I am afraid he will find opportunities to suppress him.
"It's my duty as my cousin to share your Majesty's worries. I'm just afraid that he might do something wrong and make His Majesty angry again."
Queen Wang immediately said in an understatement.
When she just thought about it, she felt that her previous thoughts were a little inappropriate.
Now Liu Yu is only in his early thirties, and he still has a lot of time ahead of him.
If he blindly wanted to expand the Wang family in Taiyuan as his backing, not only would he not be able to gain a solid foundation for his son, but he would also incur the suspicion of Liu Yu.
"Haha, if Wang Zan is capable, then let them all show their skills in the prefectures and counties. The affairs of the Taiwan Provincial Court are really overstating their talents."
Liu Yu also said immediately.
Nowadays, with the increase in the number of women in the harem, it is natural for the Queen and Wang Ze's mentality to change.
Liu Yu also knew the reason, and he would not blame Wang Ze for it.
As long as Wang Ze and the others know how to advance and retreat, and don't try to bring power into the court, there is no harm in letting Wang Zan, Wang Chang and other prince disciples serve as governors.
After all, the military power of various states and counties is now controlled by the military government offices.
Liu Yu and Wang Ze drank two more glasses of wine and were about to ask the chamberlain to buy lunch, intending to enjoy the meal in the pavilion while enjoying the snow.
Suddenly, the personal servant came to announce that Yu Wenzhao was here.
"Isn't she still pregnant? Why did she come out in the snow?" Queen Wang Ze immediately asked with concern.
Yu Wenzhao was born in Xianbei, Kuntou. Her background as a barbarian meant that her children would not be able to threaten the crown prince's status.
Therefore, Wang Ze was not too wary of Yu Wenzhao's usual care.
"Then let her come."
Liu Yu said slowly.
He also couldn't understand why Yu Wenzhao came to see him in the snow in this cold weather if he didn't stay in the house to take care of himself.
Soon, Yu Wenzhao, dressed in snow-white fox fur, came to the two of them.
Before she could salute, Queen Wang Ze stepped forward and supported her.
"Okay, we are all members of our family, don't be like this anymore. Your Majesty has already said that you don't need to salute."
Wang Ze smiled and pulled Yu Wenzhao to sit down together.
The outspoken Yu Wenzhao couldn't wait to speak as soon as he sat down.
"Does your Majesty know that this year's grassland has been hit by heavy snow, and there have been reports of people and animals freezing to death?" Yu Wenzhao said to Liu Yu with a pretty face.
Liu Yu was slightly startled.
There is indeed a lot of snow this winter.
However, in the Central Plains, as long as the snowfall is not too severe, there will not be a disaster that crushes the houses.
And for the Central Plains, which has gradually begun to promote winter wheat, auspicious snow heralds a good harvest, which is very effective.
"There is indeed a lot of snowfall this year. Although the Liaozhou area has asked for food and grass to be prepared for disasters, there are no reports of disasters." Liu Yu said.
When Yu Wenzhao heard this, he immediately started to burst into tears.
"Your Majesty, Liaozhou hasn't had time to report it yet, but my servants have already sent people to tell them that Lucheng, Tacheng and other places in Liaozhou have suffered from a white disaster, and tens of thousands of cattle, sheep and horses have frozen to death! "
"Tens of thousands?"
When Liu Yu heard this, he was slightly surprised at first.
However, I immediately felt that something was not right.
Liaozhou was basically restructured from Yuwen Xianbei's territory. Yuwen Mogui and Yuwen Sunniyan, father and son who were content with enjoying themselves, were both of the Shu faction.
For the governance of Liaozhou, it is still the routine of the grassland Chanyu Khan.
However, Lucheng and Tacheng areas all belong to Yu Wenzhao's territory.
Yes, it belongs to her personal territory and comes with her as a dowry.
According to Yuwen Xianbei, the tribal populations in these two places were not considered elite tribesmen directly under their jurisdiction. There were even many mountain and forest dwellers, rather than nomads who lived in pursuit of water and grass.
Among them, the tribesmen called Xi people are the main ones.
"That's right, tens of thousands. Your Majesty, if this continues, all my people will die."
"At that time, I have to pity the baby in my belly and it will become a broken house!"
After Yu Wenzhao said this, he even squeezed out two tears, which made Liu Yu wake up instantly.
"It turns out that I came here to cry out for my poverty!"
Liu Yu had long said that if the child born to Yu Wenzhao was a girl, she would be a noble princess and must be taken care of by Zhongyuan Haosheng.
If the child is a son, then he will go to the Yuwen Department early to inherit Yu Wenzhao's tribe, just to be able to hold a more noble title.
This was done to cut off the nomadic relatives from having the power to interfere with the imperial court.
Rather than that, it would be better to cut off his inheritance rights early.
"Then I will ask Yousi to send some relief food and grass. There are too many casualties among the people in the two areas of the province." Liu Yu said slowly.
In fact, he didn't care much about the casualties of these Yuwen people.
In which year did disasters occur on the grassland and no one died?
Nowadays, the grain and grass in the Central Plains are paid by the Han people. If Liaozhou is to maintain stability, it is appropriate to spend some grain and grass.
If it were used for disaster relief, there would be at least tens of thousands of people in Lucheng and Tacheng, so I don't know how much money would be spent.
Moreover, this does not include road losses.
If the people of the two regions are allowed to go to the border of Youzhou to get food and grass.
Wouldn't this bad idea remind them of the days when they were harvesting grass and grain?
"Your Majesty, Liaozhou is too cold and too barren. My people are not living a good life at all. Even if Your Majesty provides disaster relief, there is always a limit." Yu Wenzhao said pitifully.
"Then what do you want to do?" When Liu Yu heard this, there was something in his words.
"I heard that the imperial court is going to conquer the Japanese country, and it still lacks a lot of soldiers and horses?" Yu Wenzhao said.
"Well, that's true. Do you want all your people to conquer the Japanese country?" Liu Yu wondered.
"Yes, that's exactly what I planned."
"The Japanese country is remote and has dangerous sea routes. What's so good about it?" Liu Yu shook his head in confusion.
"Of course it's the Gold and Silver Mountain!"
Yu Wenzhao suddenly blurted out.
