in a blink.
Several days have passed since the cotton-padded jacket came out.
In the city of Shendu, the discussion about cotton-padded jackets has gradually calmed down, and people are looking forward to Su Xian's promise of "a cotton-padded jacket for everyone."
This is naturally a good thing that benefits the country and the people.
The queen was overjoyed and rewarded Su Xian heavily.
However, because Su Xian was already in the first rank and could not be promoted, the queen rewarded Su Xian with a lot of land and other property, and also gave Su Xian some privileges.
For example, you can ride horses, cars, and sedans in the imperial city.
This privilege made the civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty envious.
After all, it was an imperial city, the center of a country's court.
Except for Her Majesty the Queen herself, no one else can ride a horse or ride a carriage in the Imperial City, no matter who it is, not even the current prince or a member of the royal family.
As long as you enter the imperial city, you must dismount and walk!
Now, a second person with this privilege appears.
This is so unbelievable that not only the royal family members, princes and ministers are envious of it, but even Princess Lanling who lives in the imperial city feels disgusted.
Because she had to walk when she went out, she could only take a car or a sedan after leaving the gate of the imperial city...
Although everyone was envious, when they thought of the great achievements brought by the cotton-padded jacket, they gave up their thoughts of refuting. Even the prince, who was confined in the East Palace, was just silent for a while after hearing the news.
I really can’t envy this kind of thing...
However, in fact, the Queen was initially prepared to grant Su Xian the privilege of riding a horse, riding a car, or riding a sedan chair in the palace.
Finally, she thought about it and decided that she had to take it easy, otherwise Su Xian would be rewarded and given nothing if he performed meritorious deeds next time, and she had to leave a way out for the future.
take it easy.
However, if the privilege of "riding horses, carriages, and sedan chairs in the palace" is removed, the reward for Su Xian will be thinner, and it must be made up from other aspects.
The Queen thought hard for a while, and suddenly she had an idea. In front of all the ministers, she gave Su Xian another privilege——
You can freely enter and leave any area in the imperial city and palace city.
Even after dark and the city gate is closed.
But only Su Xian is alone, and he can bring at most one personal bodyguard.
The queen's original intention was to allow Su Xian to enter the palace at any time and play with her.
Even if he plays until dark and the city gate is closed, Su Xian can still leave the palace calmly.
But she ignored a key point. Su Xian could enter the palace at any time, even after the city gate was closed after dark. Doesn't that mean that he could see the emperor of Daliang at any time?
This is a fatal threat to the prince, Qian Zhongshu and others!
Not only that, Princess Lanling and the princes and ministers felt disgusted again.
None of them, including Princess Lanling, can see the Queen anytime and anywhere.
Su Xian's privilege is simply unparalleled. It is much more powerful than the previous privilege of "horse riding, carriage and sedan chair in the imperial city". It is really eye-catching.
The Queen soon realized this.
She admitted that she had been negligent.
However, Jun Wu joked that the matter had come to this, and she could only go all the way to the dark side. Seeing that the ministers seemed to have objections, she waved her hand and said without question:
"Cotton and cotton-padded jackets are important to me. I believe it goes without saying that Su Aiqing deserves the most credit. Su Aiqing fully deserves these two privileges!"
"If you are envious, hot-eyed, and jealous, then go and tinker with something comparable to a cotton-padded jacket, and then I will give you corresponding privileges!"
After hearing what the Queen said, the ministers who had some objections just now fell silent instantly.
yes!
Everything Su Xian got was based on a cotton-padded jacket. If someone has this ability, no matter how envious others are, it will not help...
The matter was settled just like that.
Su Xian himself is quite satisfied with these two privileges.
The imperial city is actually very big. You can walk from the west to the east on just two legs.
, it will take at least about two quarters of an hour.
Now that he is fine, he can ride horses and cars. It will be much more convenient for him to go to the palace to visit the Queen or Lan Ling in the future.
There is also the privilege of entering and exiting the palace anytime and anywhere. This is good. From now on, he will not have to rush out of the city before the city gate closes at night...
After the queen had rewarded Su Xian, she then rewarded Luo Xiu Niang.
After all, what Su Xian put forward was just an idea, or a request. Luo Xiu Niang's contribution to the concrete realization of the cotton jacket was actually not small.
The queen's reward for her was much simpler, including clothes, jewelry, gold and silver, utensils, and an imperial official status that made Luo Xiu Niang extremely happy - a seventh-grade Ruren.
She was originally a lowly maid. Because she was born with good embroidery skills, she was discovered by Su Xian, and then Princess Lanling also promoted her fiercely.
With her superb sewing skills, she married into the Hou family. Although she was just a concubine, she was very satisfied.
Now, the Queen has given her the rank of seventh-grade imperial official. She is beyond words to express the joy in her heart. She feels that her life has no regrets...
After Su Xian and Luo Xiu Niang paid their respects to the Queen, the Queen held a banquet for the ministers in the palace.
After eating and drinking, the king and his ministers dispersed.
Su Xian also took Luo Xiuniang back to the Hou Mansion.
Tang Shuwan and Liu Huixiang were very happy when they learned that Luo Xiu Niang had been granted the title. At their request, Su Xian also upgraded Luo Xiu Niang's status.
From concubine to noble concubine.
…
…
this day.
Su Xian had nothing to do and gathered a group of ladies in the house to play the game of "Eagle Catching Chickens".
The eagle is naturally played by Su Xian.
The hen is chosen by the ladies by drawing lots, and the remaining ladies will be the chicks.
Su Xian grinned and kept trying to go around the hen to catch the chicks. The chicks behind were terrified and screamed and fled...
The chicks caught by Su Xian will be punished accordingly - they will be fucked by Su Xian in public and have to perform a talent show.
Everyone was having fun when suddenly, the little maid Minglan came running up and said, "Miss, uncle, a eunuch has come to the palace and wants to invite my uncle into the palace immediately!"
"Did something happen?"
Su Xian secretly thought, there has been nothing going on in the court recently, and the court meeting has not been held for several days. Why did the Queen do this? Could it be that something big happened?
"Uncle, I don't know the specific slave, but I heard from the eunuch who passed the order that it seems to be something...a problem in Ping An City. Please come to the palace immediately to see the saint!" Minglan said.
"Um!"
Su Xian immediately put away his puzzled expression, walked up to Tang Shuwan's room, and ordered: "Change."
The problems in Ping An City at this moment are nothing more than good and bad.
First, it means that the reopening of Ping An City has come to January, and the accounts of the taxes collected in the first month should have been sorted out and sent to Beijing.
If it goes wrong, there will be changes in the operation of Ping'an City. Su Xian can't guess what the specific changes are.
It was useless to think too much. After Su Xian changed into court clothes, he went out and went straight to the imperial city.
As soon as the carriage arrived at Duanmen on the south side of the imperial city, Su Xian ordered it to stop. After he jumped off the carriage, he was about to walk into the palace. Yang Zhilan, who was accompanying him, reminded:
"Sir, our carriage can enter the palace directly."
"Oops!" Su Xian patted his forehead and said with a smile, "I forgot about this."
Su Xian turned around to get into the car when he suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves coming from behind, mixed with a rough and joyful cry: "My benefactor!"
Su Xian looked back and immediately stopped getting into the car, turned around and faced it, smiling: "Big mountain!"
That's right, the person who came was none other than Yan Dashan.
He was wearing armor, his cloak was flapping, and his resolute Chinese character had a joyful smile on his face. He had a powerful war horse under his crotch, and was galloping towards him with several personal guards behind him.
Su Xian saw that he turned over and dismounted in a handsome posture, with a dark complexion and bright eyes. His whole mental outlook was completely different from a few months ago, so he stepped forward and said with a smile:
"It seems that after you went to the Longwu Army Camp, you became more energetic like a fish entering a pond. General Yan's demeanor is indeed extraordinary!"
"Greetings to my benefactor!" After Yan Dashan dismounted, he walked to Su Xian and bowed his head. The scarlet cloak behind him ruffled, and Su Xian could feel the sincerity and purity of his emotions.
"No!" Su Xian smiled, hurriedly pulled him up, and said seriously:
"You are now the mighty Duke and Longwu General, and I am no longer the Su Xian that I was in Hebei Province. It doesn't have to be like this. How bad is it for outsiders to see it?"
Snapped!
Yan Dashan slapped his forehead hard and said with a smile: "What my benefactor said is that because I haven't seen my benefactor for a long time, when I suddenly saw him, I felt excited..."
"You still call me 'benefactor'?" "Su Xian looked a little helpless.
"General Yan Dashan, please pay your respects to the Taiwei!" Yan Dashan looked solemn and made a military salute with his hands clasped in fists.
In fact, Yan Dashan was a military commander and should have called Su Xian a marquis. But what was embarrassing was that Su Xian's title was not as high as that of Yan Dashan. In order to show respect, Yan Dashan called Su Xian Taiwei.
Su Xian finally nodded with satisfaction, holding his hands up: "General, please get up."
After Yan Dashan finished his salute, he looked at Su Xian and smiled innocently. He didn't look like the majestic General Ling Lingyan just now. It seemed like he had gone back to the past, when he followed Su Xian.
"Nvxia Yang!"
Yan Dashan clasped his fist at Yang Zhilan again. He knew that Yang Zhilan had a cold temper, so he didn't say anything more.
Yang Zhilan nodded in response, her expression unchanged.
But in fact, the way Yang Zhilan nodded to him meant that he was still a figure in Yang Zhilan's heart. If it were an ordinary person, Yang Zhilan wouldn't even bother to pay attention.
Thinking back to the time when Su Xian took her to the mountains of Shu to seek medical advice, Yan Dashan followed her through all kinds of difficulties and never said a word of hardship.
Although Yang Zhilan was indifferent, she still accepted his affection.
"Da Shan, you also entered the palace to meet the saint?" Su Xian asked.
"Yes, I wonder if your Majesty has something important to do."
Su Xian's eyes moved, he held his chin with his hand and guessed: "Judging from the time, His Majesty must have summoned you and me at the same time, and it was related to Ping'an City."
"I speculate that the accounts for the income tax for the reopening month of Ping An City have arrived, and the Queen summoned us to discuss the expansion of the Dragon Arms Army!"
How the taxes generated by Ping An City will be spent has been clarified a long time ago.
That is used to expand the Longwu Army, upgrade weapons, food and grass supplies, etc.
The Longwu Army is an elite force created by Yan Dashan. Both the Queen and Su Xian have high hopes for the Longwu Army.
In the future, whether the Liang Dynasty can maintain long-term peace and stability depends on the combat effectiveness of the Longwu Army.
The last time the Liao Kingdom invaded in a large scale, Liang Jun's combat effectiveness could not be described as "crotch pulling"...
Living in such a country, Su Xian felt very insecure, so he launched Yan Dashan and prepared to build the Longwu Army. Fortunately, judging from the current situation, Yan Dashan did not disappoint him.
The only shortcoming is that the Longwu Army is still too small, and its food, wages, equipment, etc. are not very sufficient...
"That's a good relationship. With this income, we can expand our troops by tens of thousands!" Yan Dashan was very excited, and his hearty laughter could be heard even by the soldiers on the tower.
"Without further delay, let's enter the palace quickly. Don't keep the Queen waiting." Su Xian was also looking forward to it.
"Okay, um... Lieutenant, please get in the car first, and the general can walk behind."
Su Xian waved his hand and said with a smile: "We haven't seen each other for a long time. Let's go together and just have a chat."
Yan Dashan was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly: "Lieutenant, please..."
In this way, Su Xian and Yan Dashan chatted all the way through the imperial city and arrived at the Imperial Study Room behind the Wanxiang Shrine in "Da Nei", where the Queen would receive them.
When the two rushed to the imperial study, they found that Princess Lanling had already been waiting here.
The three of them greeted each other, and Su Xian secretly said in his heart: "Princess Lanling has also arrived.
, it seems that the queen summoned us this time is indeed about the taxation of Ping An City. "
"Your Majesty has arrived!"
After waiting for a while, the eunuch's loud cry came, and the queen finally arrived. She was dressed in casual clothes, walked to sit on the dragon chair, and said to the three of them: "No courtesy, stay flat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"I just got a memorial that was urgently sent from Youzhou." The queen waved, and Nangong Wan'er took out a memorial and handed it to Su Xian and the others for viewing.
"You all should take a look first." The queen ordered. Although her expression was unpredictable, Su Xian always felt that she was a little depressed.
what happened?
Could it be that things in Ping'an City are not going well?
Yes, the Queen's recruitment of him, Lan Ling and Yan Dashan at the same time was not necessarily to discuss the expansion of the Longwu Army. It could also be... because there was a problem in Ping'an City, resulting in the existing Longwu Army not being able to support it. ?
It's not impossible.
Or maybe it has nothing to do with Ping'an City, but other troublesome things happening in Youzhou?
"According to the order."
With an anxious mood, Su Xian took the memorial that had been sent urgently from Babaili, and read it with Lan Ling and Yan Dashan.
After watching it for a long time, Su Xian couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
fine!
everything is fine!
However, in this memorial, it was only stated that the imperial court collected a lot of taxes from Ping'an City, but there were no detailed accounts and no total tax amount.
It is said that they are still being counted and will be sent to Beijing in a few days.
This should be the reason why the Queen is depressed.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, this is good news!" Yan Dashan couldn't help but be ecstatic, rubbing his hands secretly, preparing for a big fight.
"Your Majesty, although this memorial does not clearly state how much tax has been collected, it should be quite high. We will wait a few more days. Please relax, Your Majesty."
Lan Ling also noticed that the Queen was not in a good mood and understood the reason.
Su Xian said: "I second the proposal."
The Queen finally showed a smile: "Why don't I know this truth? But I have been waiting for this batch of taxes for many days, but they are just trying to whet my appetite!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down." Everyone advised.
"Actually, I'm not that angry. I called you here today just to ask what you think. How much tax can Ping'an City collect?"
"My estimate is around 300,000 taels," Lan Ling said first. This amount was something they had discussed earlier.
The reason why the Queen still consulted them was mainly because she was happy and wanted to talk more about this matter.
Su Xian then reported: "Your Majesty, I believe that the tax collected this time should be no less than five hundred thousand taels!"
