Joy of Life: I am a Han Dynasty succubus, and I rebel from the beginning

Chapter 102: Queen Mother’s Birthday, a Gift from the Nanqing Mission

"My lord, it would be great if you were the governor of Xiliang Road. As the deputy commander, you should take over after the eldest prince leaves."

Yang Du was silent for a while, still feeling somewhat unwilling.

If Liu Hong was the governor of Xiliang Road, how could it be so difficult to dispatch hundreds of cavalry?

"Don't say such things. How high is considered a high position?"

Liu Hong returned to his seat and took a sip of tea.

After the eldest prince left, Yan Xiaoyi became the governor of Xiliang Road, and Liu Hong remained as the deputy general, mainly responsible for managing the enclave of Qianlong Bay.

This is actually quite good, at least the fiefdom of Qianlong Bay has been preserved.

What's more, the Governor of Xiliang Road and the Minister of War are actually similar, the only difference is the block and linear management.

According to the formula of power contained in the position, the Minister of War is a Beijing official and is responsible for managing military affairs across the country.

His power is much higher than that of the Governor of Xiliang Road.

"Qin Heng, please don't let me down. I gave you the entire military department. If you don't sideline me, how can you be worthy of the Qin family's cultivation?"

Liu Hong muttered to himself, turned around and walked to the desk.

With a stroke of the brush, he wrote down the five big words: The best governance is like water.

After all, Liu Hong is too young. Now Emperor Qing is only dissatisfied with the power of the older generation and has not yet promoted the younger generation of officials.

So Liu Hong had to be patient for a while.

The news that Liu Hong sent two thousand war horses for the Queen Mother's birthday gradually spread. At the same time, there was also someone who openly displayed his sword in the Queen Mother's bedroom, shouting, "My sword is not bad!"
This made all the officials of Qing Kingdom become little fanboys, and they wanted to serve Liu Hong like dogs.

It turns out that their envoy is so powerful.

Liu Hong also took the opportunity to use his newly gained prestige to arrange the delegation's departure itinerary.

Try to get as close to the major garrisons of Northern Qi, even if Northern Qi dislikes Southern Qing. If the Southern Qing delegation is assassinated, a new round of national war may break out.

Liu Hong stayed in the mansion quietly for a few days. He completely mastered the internal energy and started to practice the Tianyi Dao technique.

"Sir, the Queen Mother's birthday is coming, and we invite all the officials of the delegation to attend the banquet in Hanguang Palace."

Yang Du knocked on the door gently.

"In that case, let's set off. I believe Si Lili has already told the little emperor that I want to join forces with Northern Qi. With the silk thread in my hand, I have at least 80% chance of success."

Liu Hong's mind kept flickering and his thoughts were flying.

Ji Xin wanted to die for Liu Hong, but failed. However, he successfully turned things around and became a member of Liu Hong's personal guard.

Ji Xin came over, leading a war horse.

Liu Hong shook his head, revealing his wide-sleeved casual clothes, and was somewhat speechless.

"Do you think I look good in this dress when riding a horse?"

Wide sleeves give a sense of spaciousness, ease, elegance and luxury, while narrow sleeves are tight and suitable for warriors.

Ji Xin hurriedly asked other officials for a carriage.

Fan Xian seemed a little surprised to see Liu Hong riding in the carriage, which was a rare occasion for him.

The Hanguang Hall in the imperial palace is majestic and grand, and is almost two or three times larger than the imperial hall of Nanqing.

For a moment, many Nanqing officials were shocked. After all, Nanqing was an old and powerful country, and this majesty had to be accumulated in Nanqing for at least several decades.

"Master Liu, what do you think? This is the main hall of our Great Qi. You Nanqing are still imitating us, but you are still not up to par after all."

Shen Zhong came over, escorted by many Jinyiwei officials. Except for his bloodshot eyes, his face looked normal.

Liu Hong looked at Shen Zhong with a look of surprise on his face.

"Master Shen...you are..."

"Oh, this is the prince's robe that the Queen Mother gave me as a reward for my hard work and contributions."

Shen Zhong spoke with a smile, his eyes lingering on the clothes on his body.

This is the first time I wear a python costume, and probably the last time.

"Master Shen, please!"

Liu Hong stretched out his hand and took the initiative to make way for Shen Zhong.

Now Shen Zhong is like a mad dog, trying to drag others into the water. He doesn't want to anger Shen Zhong.

Shen Zhong took the lead and strode forward with a hearty laugh.

Liu Hong took a step back on his own initiative, causing many Northern Qi officials and ministers in the dark to sigh in disappointment.

I didn't expect that the envoy of Nanqing, who dared to confront Shen Zhong with a sword in the Queen Mother's bedroom, would be so restrained today. The envoys were located at the back of the hall. After all, the highest-ranking official, Liu Hong, was only a third-rank official.

What qualifications do you have to compete for seats with dukes and marquises?
Liu Hong sat at the head of the delegation, playing with the white jade wine glass in his hand.

After all, he inherited a lot of heritage from the Great Wei Kingdom, so his family background is indeed very rich.

Uesugi Tora strode out of the hall, snorted coldly at Shen Zhong, and sat down opposite him.

Shen Zhong paid no attention to the tiger trapped in the cage, but just drank his wine.

The atmosphere in the hall gradually became weird. Even the officials from Nanqing noticed that something was wrong and felt uncomfortable.

Liu Hong was just about to pick up the wine jug when he smelled a fragrant aroma. The palace maid took the jug with a smile.

"Sir, please ..."

Liu Hong hummed lightly, raised his wine glass and inadvertently revealed the silver thread on his right hand.

The dancer ignored it and kept smiling.

The Queen Mother and the little emperor arrived one after another, smiling brightly at the banquet but remaining restrained at the same time.

Pretending to be at odds with each other, but also pretending to be a filial son and a respectful daughter.

All the ministers bowed down one after another.

"Greetings to the Queen Mother! May the Queen Mother live a thousand years."

"See Your Majesty."

Just a few words proved that the Northern Qi regime was still firmly in the hands of the Queen Mother.

"Please stand up. Today is my birthday. No need to be polite, nobles."

The Queen Mother's smile deepened and she raised her hand slightly.

The little emperor kept his expression unchanged, maintained a gentle smile, and sat down next to him.

Now that the host had arrived, the banquet officially began. Amid the clinking of glasses, a faint blush appeared on the faces of the officials.

"On the Queen Mother's birthday, Pei Bo, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War of Nanqing, presented her with two thousand war horses to congratulate her."

The young eunuch whispered in the Queen Mother's ear and listed all the gifts.

Two thousand war horses was considered a large sum even among ministers, enough to arm one thousand light cavalry and six hundred heavy cavalry.

The Queen Mother nodded slightly, since Liu Hong was so willing to send two thousand war horses to Northern Qi.

Naturally, she also had to maintain the demeanor of a queen mother of a great country. It was impossible for her to draw her sword and hold Liu Hong in the bedroom.

The young eunuch spoke again in a low voice.

"Empress Dowager, Minister Liu has a silver thread in his hand..."

The Queen Mother's expression changed slightly. She was still sitting on the Phoenix Chair, but her fingers involuntarily grasped the chair lightly, showing that she was uneasy inside.

Is this the gift that Master Ku He gave to himself?

When he was drunk, Fan Xian found the right time and bowed down in the hall.

"Your Majesty, I have a gift too."

"Oh, little Fan Shixian also has a gift, tell me about it."

The Queen Mother collected her thoughts and looked at Fan Xian gently.

Of course she knew about Fan Xian's gifts. As long as the royal family and the inner treasury shops cooperated, she could earn hundreds of thousands or even millions of taels of silver every year.

This is almost close to one-eighth of the tax revenue of the Northern Qi treasury.

Isn’t the reason why Nanqing is making rapid progress because of the Neiku, a money-making machine?

"The foreign ministers want to use the inner treasury's shops in Northern Qi to pay 40% of the profits to the Great Qi royal family every year."

When Fan Xian said this, everyone in the room was shocked.

First, Liu Hong donated two thousand war horses, and then Fan Xian handed over a large amount of money.

If there had not been some secret discussion, these old and quiet ministers would never believe it.

The Queen Mother smiled and was about to accept it.

Shen Zhong, who had been drinking silently, stood up and everyone's eyes were on him.

"Queen, I don't think that's appropriate!"

Shen Zhong's words were sonorous and powerful. Standing in the hall, almost no one dared to ignore his words.

(End of this chapter)