Golden Branch

Chapter 438 Returning to Beijing
"The Eastern Expedition failed?"

Wang Heng was slightly startled.

Over the past year or so, the couple has been away from Beijing, but has always been concerned.

Wang Heng had access to information about everything in the capital, from important court affairs to small rumors in the market.

Not to mention Lou Yu, who is the confidant of the Supreme Father and his son. Every few days, there will be messengers traveling between Nanzhou and the capital.

Therefore, Wang Heng knew that during this period, the imperial court had been using military force against foreign countries.

Northwest, Southwest, and Northeast.

...To put it nicely, this means that the sage has the ambition to conquer the world; to put it bluntly, this means that the sage is warmongering.

Fortunately, the saint had a good prince who could always raise enough food and money for his campaigns.

However, war also has a bit of the meaning of "winner takes it all".

The labor force consumed huge resources, and if they won, it would be reasonable to conquer all the surrounding foreign countries and enemy countries.

The officials in the court could only turn a blind eye.

But if they were defeated, the court officials who were already dissatisfied with the sage's "good at conquering" would not be able to tolerate it.

Not to mention the censors, even other court officials from the three provinces and six ministries could not help but "advise and remonstrate."

If there are voices of opposition in the court, the apparent harmony and tranquility of the capital will be disrupted.

The wind is blowing again in the capital!
Wang Heng was not an ordinary woman in the inner court. She was at the center of power and was very sensitive to state affairs.

Just hearing the news of the defeat of the Eastern Expedition, Wang Heng thought of many things.

After a moment, she looked straight into Lou Yu's eyes: "Brother, are we going back to Beijing?"

The Nanbang has been destroyed, and the matter of the King of Shu has been investigated thoroughly. We are just waiting for the results of the handling in the capital.

Lou Yu’s purpose of coming to Nanzhou has basically been achieved.

Lou Yu also implemented various benevolent policies in Nanzhou and achieved considerable political achievements:
Clear out hidden households and fields, open up fertile fields for Nanzhou, and increase the population.

Break the monopoly of local powerful families, eliminate local stubborn forces, and enhance the prestige of government offices.

Strengthen the construction of official schools, cooperate with the Yi people in the mountains, educate the mountain people, and further promote Confucian education.

Building bridges and paving roads, opening charity bureaus, affordable clinics and other public welfare institutions, and providing the greatest possible support to the people at the bottom...

Due to time constraints, some of these measures have been completed, while others have just begun.

However, there is basically a rough framework. As long as the successor officials continue to implement it, there will definitely be results in one or two years at the least, and three to five years at the latest.

And in order to ensure all this, Lou Yu has already chosen his successor——

His students, the scholars brought from the capital.

It can be said that Lou Yu has planned everything. Even if he returns to Beijing at this time, Nanzhou and the entire southwest will be able to develop smoothly and orderly according to the goals he set.

Lou Yu had originally planned to return to Beijing, and the news of the failure of the Eastern Expedition would speed up his pace to return to Beijing.

"Well! The prince was already weak. This year, he's been busy raising food and money, and handling state affairs. His mind has been severely strained!"

"The court is already full of diverse forces. The aristocratic families are even more vulnerable. Even a single copy of the 'Clan Chronicles' cannot completely break their monopoly on power."

Lou Yu pinched his brows and said slowly: "Prince, this is not easy!"

After all, what he said were just the difficulties that were on the surface.

There are also some hidden dangers that are hard to talk about, which are the real big troubles.

such as--

"Also, there are some bad rumors about the East Palace."

Lou Yu's spies who stayed in the capital diligently reported all the information they had gathered to Nanzhou.

There are many groundless rumors among them.

However, Lou Yu took it very seriously.

These rumors may seem absurd, but in fact, there is no smoke without fire.

Wang Heng thought for a moment and tentatively asked, "Could it be related to Xiao Dalang?"

The biggest hidden danger in the Eastern Palace is the emperor's eldest grandson who once broke his leg and suffered from sequelae.

For him, the prince even sent Xiao Sanlang out of the palace.

Wang Heng also "raised" him for a period of time, and she was quite fond of this smart and lively child.

Afterwards, the Eastern Palace was stabilized again, Xiao Sanlang was sent back to the palace, and Wang Heng did not let go completely.

She would also assign homework to Xiao Sanlang and check his performance.

Later, Wang Heng and Lou Yu came to Nanzhou together. Although it was two or three thousand miles away from the capital, she still did not lose contact with him.

Wang Heng has always been concerned about the studies and growth of the Sixth Prince, Xiao Sanlang, and Princess Changning.

In addition to regular teaching and examinations, Wang Heng would also send them "local specialties" from Nanzhou -

Ivory, gems, medicinal materials, wood, various gold, silver and jade wares, as well as ironware, clothes and jewelry of the Yi people in the mountains.

Wang Heng gave her all sincerely, and naturally received sincere rewards.

The three little ones are not ordinary children. They have noble status and extremely rich private treasury.

Not to mention the usual return gifts, just this time when Wang Heng gave birth, the three little ones all sent gifts after hearing the news.

Gold locks, gold necklaces, and other gold items produced by the Imperial Household Department, peace plaques and amulets blessed by the imperial temple, and precious artifacts from all over the country in the eastern and western markets of Beijing...

Just these three children made up a whole carriage.

There were several large boxes, filled with everything you could imagine.

Wang Heng received their greetings and also learned more "little things" about the Imperial Palace and the Eastern Palace from their letters.

Among them is Kozaburo’s “concerns”.

Xiao Sanlang did not leak the information intentionally, but some clues were revealed between the lines, which were accurately captured by the perceptive Wang Heng.

The Eastern Palace is indeed not very stable.

Xiao Sanlang is only a few years old, but some people have already started to "be loyal" to him.

How can this be called standing in line?
It was clearly shaking the foundation of the East Palace—

Xiao Dalang suffers from a leg disease, and his physical disability is not obvious. The most fatal thing is the "human heart".

Xiao Dalang himself has his own inner demons, becoming inferior, sensitive, suspicious, and dark.

Even if he is open-minded, he cannot prevent people around him from having ulterior motives.

Unfortunately, the Crown Princess passed away, and the Crown Prince was busy with government affairs. The two children, Xiao Dalang and Xiao Sanlang, were easily disturbed by the outside world, and then -

These situations had already shown signs more than a year ago.

It’s just that people are always hoping for the best, always thinking that things might get better.

The saint and the prince are like this, and Wang Heng and Lou Yu also have such beautiful expectations.

Unfortunately, things don’t always go as we wish.

"..." Lou Yu didn't give a direct answer when he heard Wang Heng guess that something had happened to Xiao Dalang.

But, his silence itself is the answer——

There was indeed a disturbance in the Eastern Palace, and the center of the disturbance was indeed Xiao Dalang.

After thinking for a while, Lou Yu leaned close to Wang Heng's ear and said in an inaudible voice:
"There are rumors in the capital that Xiao Dalang's temperament has changed drastically due to his leg disease."

"Naughty and violent, at the very least he would beat and scold palace servants, and at the worst he would be mean to members of the imperial family..."

Wang Heng frowned slightly.

What she cared about was not how Xiao Dalang himself was.

After all, for real powerful people, some "hobbies" are normal.

Even Wang Heng herself is not a good person who loves the people like her own children and treats them equally.

There are also some wise rulers in history who have the stain of whipping the powerful and even killing members of the royal family.

However, these have never been the main point, nor will they affect their names in history.

What Wang Heng was really worried about was that these rumors would spread.

Committing evil is normal; what's truly terrifying is when evil deeds are publicized. It's either because the perpetrators are too brazen, making no attempt to conceal their actions and allowing the news to spread.

Or someone is stirring up trouble and spreading rumors intentionally.

The latter is the most terrifying.

"These things have actually been spread?"

There shouldn't be even the slightest trace of anything that happened in the Taiji Palace, even if it's just hearsay.

Yes, Wang Heng quickly realized that this was not just a problem with the Eastern Palace, but that there were flaws in the entire imperial palace.

"Is the Queen's health not good again?"

Wang Heng also imitated Lou Yu and put her mouth directly to his ear.

"...Li Mingtang should have received the letter from the noble in the capital. It's time for her to return to the capital!"

Even though he whispered like this, Lou Yu did not tell the truth directly.

He mentioned Li Mingtang in a tactful way.

As a miracle doctor who could control the Queen's illness, her sudden return to the capital was enough to answer Wang Heng's question -

The Queen's condition has relapsed!

An expression of "as expected" appeared on Wang Heng's delicate little face.

The queen was ill, and the successor, Crown Princess Xiao Lu, was young and had no prestige. The two mistresses were unable to manage the harem perfectly, which led to loopholes and rumors about Xiao Dalang.

A hint of worry flashed in Wang Heng's eyes.

The palace was in turmoil again. Her mother and brother were both in the palace. Even if they tried their best to hide, they might not be able to stay out of it.

If they don't fight, others will be an eyesore if they do.

After all, the existence of a favored concubine or a beloved son will make people envious and jealous, and will make them a thorn in the eyes of some people!

The couple were both silent.

After a moment, Lou Yu took the initiative to interrupt and whispered:

"The Crown Prince wrote a letter, in which he alluded to the failure of the Eastern Expedition. The Sage was unwilling to accept this and wished to launch a second Eastern Expedition, even personally!"

Although Wang Heng looked worried, she could understand the saint's thoughts.

As a god-like general who was invincible in every battle, the defeat of Goguryeo was probably one of the few setbacks in his life.

How can a saint be content?

In addition, with the wars over the years, Tuyuhun, Gaochang and others have been incorporated into the territory of Dayu.

Although the Turks have not been completely wiped out, they have suffered repeated defeats and can no longer pose much threat to Dayu.

Goguryeo on the east side became the saint's biggest target.

But he was defeated. The saint who becomes more courageous after setbacks will naturally not give up easily!

The capital was already turbulent, yet the sage still wanted to lead the expedition himself. Even though Wang Heng was two or three thousand miles away, she could still foresee the prince's entanglement and worries.

Money! Food!
Fighting a war is not a simple matter; it requires mountains of gold and food.

Moreover, the Dayu Dynasty was too large, and natural disasters occurred every year from south to north and from west to east.

Either there is drought in the north or there is flooding in the south.

Either the southwest dragon will turn against us, or a hurricane will cause chaos in the South China Sea.

After natural disasters, there will be epidemics.

Hundreds of memorials were sent to the capital from various places every day.

Even with the ministers of the three provinces, and even with the Council of State sharing some of the burden, the emperor and the crown prince still bear the vast majority.

Every day, reading and approving memorials requires a lot of mental and energy.

If there are more natural disasters or wars... even the prince's iron body will not be able to withstand it, not to mention that he has a congenital heart disease?
Can’t hold on!
I really can’t hold on!
Unfortunately, the sage's ambition to conquer all directions and expand the territory had to be fulfilled, so the prince could only grit his teeth and continue to endure.

He can't bear it anymore!

Therefore, the control over the Eastern Palace is not that strict.

This is also another important reason why rumors about Xiao Dalang spread quietly.

In this situation, the prince urgently needs a reliable and capable helper.

For example, Lou Yu!

"There are still some follow-up matters that need to be dealt with by the King of Shu. I originally wanted to stay in the southwest for a while longer—"

Lou Yu frowned slightly.

In his plan, he would stay in Nanzhou for another year.

The next year, rounding up, he could be considered to have completed his three-year term.

However, the capital was in turmoil and the prince was extremely exhausted, so Lou Yu had to return to the capital.

"Brother, do you have any specific errands to do when you return to Beijing?"

Wang Heng was more straightforward.

Since I have to go back to Beijing, then go back!

However, after returning to Beijing, how will Lou Yu’s official position be arranged?

"Prince of Dali Temple?"

Wang Heng speculated in a low voice.

Lou Yu was demoted from his position as Shaoqing of the Dali Temple to a local official.

According to the original agreement between him and the prince, if he was transferred back to Beijing, Lou Yu would be promoted to the position of Minister of the Dali Temple.

Less than half a year after Lou Yu arrived in Nanzhou, the Dali Temple Minister who was planning to retire fell ill. He did not reach the retirement age and had to resign due to illness.

The sage was kind and would not oppress an old and sick minister, so he approved the request of the Dali Temple Minister.

Zhou Jiming was promoted from Shaoqing of Dali Temple to Qing of Dali Temple.

Zhou Jiming finally became the head of the Dali Temple, and he was feeling very proud and satisfied.

However, Wang Heng knew that with Lou Yu's favor, if he returned to Beijing, he could completely replace Zhou Jiming and take back the position of Dali Temple Minister if necessary.

This may be unfair to Zhou Jiming.

But this is the most real reality——

This world is not fair.

Moreover, Lou Yu was not someone who relied solely on his status or the emperor's favor. He traveled thousands of miles to Yongzhou and Nanzhou just to serve the Supreme Father and his son.

Some of his achievements cannot be praised openly. After all, secret medicines and the like are too horrifying. If officials and people knew about them, it would easily cause panic.

There are also Prince Yong and Prince Shu. Their secret activities cannot be publicized because they concern the royal dignity, and Lou Yu has to maintain them.

Lou Yu's various efforts were always for the sake of the Supreme Father and his son, and the Saint and the Prince were well aware of this.

They silently credited Lou Yu with their achievements, and they would also reward him at the appropriate time.

Not to mention, Lou Yu is not only meritorious, he is also capable.

Return to Beijing!

Promoted to Dali Temple Minister!

These are what Lou Yu deserves.

"No! Not going to Dali Temple!"

Lou Yu shook his head. He could go to the Dali Temple, but he didn't want to.

Besides, the prince doesn't need it.

As the crown prince's confidant, Lou Yu knew him best.

"I'm going to the Ministry of Revenue!"

"The court is out of money, yet the sage is still going on a second expedition to the east. The prince is very worried about the money and food."

"As a subject, I must share the prince's worries!"