Imperial Palace, Cining Palace.
The Queen Mother stood in front of the window, looking at the silver-covered scene outside, and sighed slightly.
Another year has passed, time flies so fast.
It has been a year and a half since Jia Cong, the heartless man, led his troops on an expedition, and I haven't seen him for almost two years. After such a long time, I didn't know how to write him a letter to say hello and say he was safe.
I don’t know what he is doing now? Have you ever thought of yourself?
He now controls hundreds of thousands of troops and is the king of Liaodong. He owns the territory of Liaodong, so he must be very high-spirited, right?
Thinking of him commanding the army, high-spirited and scolding Fang Qiu, he couldn't help but smile.
That is the man he likes, the man he likes, and he is also a capable man.
Recalling the first time the two met, I wanted to plot against him, take advantage of him, and make him do things for me.
As a result, when faced with his own censure, he actually pulled himself into the tub without saying a word.
She is the queen, the emperor's woman, how dare he?
He was so bold at that time that he frightened himself for a moment.
He stripped himself naked in the tub and did what countless men wanted to do but didn't dare to do.
His evil smile and strong body are still fresh in people's memory.
Since then, the two have been closely linked.
It was an unforgettable day and the happiest day in my life.
Thinking of the scenes between the two of them in the past, it seems like it was just yesterday.
The maid Jiang Huan came to her side.
"Your Majesty, it's cold outside. Be careful of freezing. It's better to close the windows."
The Queen Mother sighed softly: "Huan'er, do you think Jia Cong will miss us?"
"I will definitely think about it. Your Majesty has been very obsessed with the Queen Mother before. We haven't seen her for so long. It would be strange if you don't think about her."
"Cackle, cluck..."
The Queen Mother was amused by this girl's words, and her branches were trembling with laughter for a while.
"You girl is just good at talking, which makes the Ai family feel a lot better. Unfortunately, now that the Ai family is old, they are no longer so attractive. They can't compare to you young people."
"The Queen Mother is immortal. She is much prettier than the slaves. There are few in our palace who can compare to the Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother laughed and said: "You girl, you are so sweet, do you want to ask the Ai family for something? Do you want the Ai family to let you out of the palace, and also want to go to Jia Cong? He is in Liaodong now, you You can’t go alone.”
Jiang Huan said hurriedly: "I don't dare to have such unreasonable thoughts. I just want to serve the Queen Mother for the rest of my life, and that's enough."
She looked around and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, my servant accidentally heard the news that the steward Wang Gonggong selected a group of beautiful ladies and said they were to be sent to Liaodong for the prince. I heard that they were installed ***There are a lot of female cadres."
"What?"
The Queen Mother couldn't help being surprised when she heard this.
If this is true, once Jia Cong finds out, wouldn't he be separated from the emperor?
"Huan'er, is this true or false? Who did you listen to?"
"Queen Mother, this may be true. Two of General Manager Wang's men were whispering together quietly. I happened to hear it. It was General Manager Wang who suggested that your Majesty reward the prince with a group of palace maids and eunuchs, and then install them there. Some spies."
"This Wang Bao deserves to be damned for actually instigating a relationship between Jia Cong and the emperor. It seems that he still holds a grudge against Jia Cong and is trying every possible means to harm him. It's so vicious."
The Queen Mother knew about the Emperor's draft, but she didn't expect that there was such a thing.
The emperor trusted that Wang Bao very much and could accept his advice, so he probably didn't feel at ease with Jia Cong.
Hey, that kid Jia Cong is really too outstanding. He is suspected by others for no reason. If he can be mediocre,
Just click and it won’t be so much trouble.
If Huang Er made up his mind, he would not be able to convince him.
Now that the emperor has become the emperor, he has his own opinions and is no longer the son who listens to his own words.
It's really hard for me to take care of this matter.
If Huang Er did this, it cannot be said that he did something wrong.
Jia Cong had hundreds of thousands of troops at his disposal, so it was understandable that the emperor was worried about him.
In her heart, the Queen Mother wanted Jia Cong and the Emperor to live in harmony, so that the monarch and his ministers could support each other and jointly protect the Chu Empire.
The situation in front of her was the last thing she wanted to see.
She still knew something about Jia Cong. Although the man didn't have much ambition, he didn't have much respect for the royal family.
If Huang Er takes action against him, he will not sit still and wait for death.
This made her a little entangled. On one side was her biological son, on the other was her little lover. She didn't want to give up on either one. It was really difficult to choose.
"The Emperor has arrived."
Just when the Queen Mother was struggling in her heart, a shout came into her ears.
The Queen Mother looked up and saw her prince striding in.
"My son, I have met my mother."
"Your Majesty, there's no need to be polite. Sit down. It's snowing so heavily outside. Why are you here?"
The emperor waved to the people who were following him: "You all go down, I will talk to the queen mother."
"My slave obeys the order."
Everyone bowed and left together, leaving only the mother and son in the room.
The Queen Mother glanced at her son and wondered what he was going to tell her.
"Your Majesty, are there any major events in the court recently?"
"Mother, this year has been very peaceful, and there have been no major events. There is no war in Liaodong. Jia Cong said that he will not send troops unless he is sure of victory. He has been training troops this year, so the world can be regarded as stable.
If there is really something wrong, it is in Liaodong. Although Jia Cong did not fight, he actually set up a government and gentry unit in Liaodong to pay for food, and he actually got it done. Many ministers in the court impeached him.
It is said that he mobilized the army without authorization, threatened the local gentry, forced the gentry to pay grain, and destroyed the ancestral system without authorization. I think they are a little afraid, fearing that this system will be implemented across the country. "
The Queen Mother looked at her son and saw that he did not show any anger.
"Your Majesty, what do you think of this matter?"
The emperor smiled and said: "Mother, I am very optimistic about Jia Cong's government and gentry receiving food together. If it can be implemented nationwide, it will be a good thing for the country and the people, and the national treasury will be filled a lot.
However, several cabinet ministers disagreed, saying that it would affect the interests of all officials and would not be passed at all. Jia Cong was able to succeed because he used an army to exert pressure. Otherwise, those people would not pay taxes honestly. "
The Queen Mother nodded: "Since the cabinet ministers don't agree, the emperor should give up this idea. You have just ascended the throne, so it is best to focus on stability and not to provoke those officials to oppose you."
"My son knows that my mother can rest assured. By the way, my mother, Jia Cong has built the royal palace in Liaodong. I want to reward him with a group of palace maids and eunuchs, and then select a few beautiful girls from the selected ones. What do you think of it, give it to him as well?"
Sure enough, the news Huan'er heard was true, Huang'er really wanted to put people around Jia Cong.
"Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong with you doing this, but will Jia Cong feel that you don't trust him and deliberately sent someone to monitor him? Once trust is gone, it cannot be re-established.
Prince, tell the Aijia honestly, do you not believe Jia Cong? Worried that he will betray you? "
The emperor was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"Mother, I know that you trust Jia Cong. He has really helped us a lot. I am very grateful to him and don't want to doubt him. However, we don't know what Jia Cong is thinking because of the distance between people's hearts.
Moreover, he is so powerful that he can fight
It's just that he's great. He's also great at making money. He also has a very unique vision in government affairs. Once such a person has ambitions and has a lot of troops, it's quite terrifying.
With Erchen's abilities and methods, he simply couldn't be suppressed, and no one in the civil and military dynasties could be his opponent. Mother, if it really comes to that point, tell me, what should I do? Erchen was afraid. "
After listening to her son's words, the Queen Mother fell silent.
She can understand her son's current mood just like she understood Emperor Longqing back then.
Maybe this is the fate of the emperor. Once he sits on that high position, no one will believe it.
Facing a perverted subordinate like Jia Cong again, maybe it would be the same for another person, right?
If there was no such relationship between himself and Jia Cong, maybe he would have such thoughts, right?
Thinking of this, the queen suddenly felt relieved.
Since you can't control it, then don't care and let everything take its course.
At that time, life or death, success or failure, all depends on their own destiny.
Maybe, that won't happen.
"Your Majesty, Jia Cong doesn't have much ambition. He just wants to live a life of wealth. As long as you don't want to harm him, he will be loyal to you and do things for you. If you want to kill him, he won't. Waiting to die obediently.
After all, Jia Cong is kind to our mother and son, and he has taken refuge with you early. As long as you, the monarch and his ministers, are united and work together, this country of Chu will be as stable as a rock. The Ai family doesn't want to see a real fight between you, as that would be the worst for the emperor.
Now that the words have been said, the Aijia will say nothing more. Your Majesty, you have grown up and have your own opinions and judgments. Whatever path you want to take, the Aijia will not interfere with you. I only hope that You can think twice before you act. "
"Don't worry, Queen Mother. I know what to do. I sent people to monitor Jia Cong for the benefit of everyone. Even if Jia Cong knows about it, he should understand my painstaking efforts."
The emperor also understood that Jia Cong was still very useful to the court.
However, once the barbarians were defeated and the entire Liaodong was taken back, Jia Cong's role would not be very great.
In any case, this is an era when imperial power is supreme.
It is only natural for ministers to be loyal to the emperor. As the emperor, he controls the power of life and death for everyone.
If the king wants his minister to die, he must die.
If the father wants the son to die, the son has to die.
This is the way of loyalty and filial piety. If you don't abide by it, you will be despised by everyone in the world.
······
Hetuala, in the royal palace.
Amin sat high on the dragon chair, with dozens of civil and military ministers and tribal leaders standing below.
They are discussing the future development of the barbarians.
They didn't discuss this issue once or twice.
However, every time no results were discussed that satisfied everyone, and no final decision was made.
Mainly around Jia Cong, three battles in a row have scared most people.
So much so that after long discussions, we still couldn't figure out a way to deal with Jia Cong.
Amin glanced at the subordinates in the hall and spoke slowly.
"My lords, generals, and leaders, everyone has understood the current situation. Although there is no war for the time being, Jia Cong has been training his troops for more than a year.
The Chu court even urged him to take back Shenyang. According to the situation, even if Jia Cong didn't want to fight, he couldn't withstand the pressure from the court. After the spring of next year, there will probably be a battle for Shenyang.
I wonder which general is willing to guard Shenyang and take charge of commanding this war? Responsible for blocking Jia Cong's siege? "
After listening to Amin's words, the generals below were all silent, and no one took the initiative to step forward to take orders. The cannons came down overwhelmingly
They have all personally experienced Jia Cong's power.
The shells were falling in an overwhelming manner, and no matter where you were hiding, you were likely to be bombed and blown to pieces.
This threat is really too great, and these generals are also worried.
In the past, when we fought, we would kill each other with swords and guns.
With the bravery and skill of these generals, even if they lead their troops to the front line and are protected by personal soldiers, there will not be much danger.
Moreover, most generals are commanding from the rear, so the danger is not very great.
However, facing Jia Cong's artillery, it was completely different.
Shells were flying overhead, and no one could guarantee whether the shells would land next to them.
Faced with such a near-death battlefield, who would be willing to die.
"Great Khan, Jia Cong's artillery is really powerful. If we don't solve this problem, it will be difficult to defend Shenyang."
"The walls of Shenyang City are high and thick, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack. Even if the city walls are blocking it, the artillery shouldn't be able to penetrate it, right? The power of Jia Cong's artillery will definitely be greatly reduced. In this way, it should be easier for us to protect Shenyang."
"Great Khan, why don't we concentrate our forces and fight a life-or-death battle with Jia Cong? The Great Khan will lead the expedition in person and boost morale. We should have no problem guarding Shenyang."
"That's right, Jia Cong's gunpowder cannot be endless. It will always be used up. As long as they use up all their ammunition, with the fighting power of my clan's men, there should be no problem in defeating them."
Amin pondered for a moment and then said: "Generals, if we gather the strength of our entire clan, we may be able to defeat Jia Cong, but after defeating Jia Cong, we will definitely suffer heavy casualties, and even lose both sides.
The Mongols in our northwest are already preparing to make a move. They have a close relationship with Jia Cong. They can be said to be Jia Cong's subordinates. They will not just sit idly by. If that happens, it may be the day of our clan's defeat. . "
"The Great Khan's concern is correct. We must not be so hasty. At the critical moment, we can let Shenyang out and save our own combat power for future plans."
At this time, Gu Qi walked in.
"Reporting to the Great Khan, the King of Liaodong has sent a messenger and wants to request an audience with the Great Khan."
