Chapter 143 – Talks Between Monarchs and Ministers

The decision to relocate to the North Sea was made after careful consideration by Cui Xingzhou.

 

But the main reason was not the exclusion of the Shi family or the suspicion of the emperor.

 

Having stayed in the capital for so long, Cui Xingzhou can be considered familiar with the various forms of life in the official circles of the capital. Although he can also learn to engage in intrigue, he was fundamentally bored.

 

The emperor today was no more than a pawn in his hand, using the technique of checks and balances effectively.

 

After defeating Prince Sui and defeating the Palace family, Prince Huaiyang once went to his military camp and found that the soldiers of the State of Zhen, who had previously honed their martial arts, had gradually changed in bustling places such as the capital. There are private gambling enthusiasts in the barracks, and some even go out to visit brothel alley together.

 

Comfort was a great taboo for soldiers. In the long run, the soldiers of the State of Zhen will no longer be the elite soldiers who will conquer the bandits of the Mountain of Yang and pacify the northwest.

 

Cui Xingzhou stood at the head of the city looking towards the direction of the North Sea for a long time and decided to hand over the court hall to the Shi family and the old army of the Mountain of Yang to fight, while he hung up his commander-in-chief seal again to conquer the North Sea.

 

When Cui Xingzhou calmly accepted the seal of command, the court was shocked.

 

One should know that even Liu Yu didn’t have much hope of making this suggestion beforehand. He didn’t expect Cui Xingzhou to personally go, but he hoped to allocate some troops from his hands to support the North Sea. This not only solved the urgent needs of the North Sea but also weakened Cui Xingzhou’s military power, killing two birds with one stone.

 

But Cui Xingzhou never rejected it, even leading his troops and horses to the North Sea.

 

On that day in the court, the top scorer who had not been able to take the imperial examination in the past, presented a sumptuous memorial to the expedition petition. The memorial details the form of the North Sea and the suffering of the local people. He and his soldiers are willing to be ready to die the cruelest death for principles and will not return until the Japanese are annihilated.

 

Cui Xingzhou’s voice was deep and magnetic, and as he read each word with a burning spirit, the listeners were moved to wipe their tears, and the flames burning in their chests.

 

Liu Yu’s face sounded gloomy, but since someone had voluntarily petitioned to take over the hot potato, Liu Yu naturally couldn’t say anything. After pondering for a long time, he finally spoke up and granted the consent of Prince Huaiyang.

 

When the court broke up that day, Liu Yu ask Cui Xingzhou to stay behind. The two of them, the monarch and the minister, were rare to have a calm and frank conversation in the imperial study for an hour.

 

Cui Xingzhou put aside his previous arrogance and candidly analyzed the current political situation with Liu Yu.

 

He said to Liu Yu, “In the Qing and Ming dynasties when it comes to politics, one should speak widely and be good at nurturing scholars. It was not the intertwining of friends. When courtiers ask for help, one must weigh the pros and cons, lest one word stands in line and make countless enemies. The current disaster in the North Sea is certainly deep and hot, but the hidden fire under the accumulated leaves of the court cannot be underestimated. Buried for thousands of miles, when encountering the resurgence of wind, it is a vast sea of fire.”

 

Liu Yu understood that Cui Xingzhou was referring to the current struggle between the Shi family and the old tribe of the Mountain of Yang. The courtiers were forced to stand in line one after another, and the daily requests from the courtiers were either trivial matters or a fierce battle over who was in charge of digging a canal. The battle lasted for a long time without any result.

 

The rare thing that the two parties have agreed on recently was to send Prince Huaiyang to the North Sea to suppress the Japanese people.

 

Now listening to Cui Xingzhou speaking bluntly about this matter, Liu Yu actually felt the same way and sighed deeply, “Your words are too easy to say, but it is also too difficult to implement. Otherwise, why would you decide to avoid the situation and head for the North Sea.”

 

Cui Xingzhou respectfully saluted, “Your Majesty may seem easygoing, but in reality, you have a strategic mind. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gone through twists and turns and fought against demons before returning. But now that you have firmly settled in the capital, you should understand the difference between governing a country and attacking a city. Now that the imperial court civil service exam is approaching, I hope Your Majesty can select more fearless and clean-minded people. I believe they will be Your Majesty’s right arm and help you defend the court and the country. As a martial arts man, staying in the court is useless, so it’s better to go to the border area and help Your Majesty eliminate the chaos and allows Your Majesty to concentrate on rectifying the Great Yan Dynasty River without any distractions.”

 

Upon hearing this, Liu Yu also understood. Cui Xingzhou was admonishing him to select good ones and abandon the stubborn and self-respecting old ministers such as the Shi family and the old tribe.

 

This was actually the customary method used by the founding emperors of all dynasties, following the monarch to defeat the subjects of the world, and understanding the principle of rushing and retreating bravely.

 

However, Liu Yu never expected that Cui Xingzhou would be the one who gave him such insightful advice.

 

He slowly sighed and suddenly spoke up, “To this day, I understand why she chose you. You are an honest and upright husband, and in this regard, I… Am not as good as you. If you and I could have met earlier, perhaps you and I could have become close friends.”

 

At this point, Liu Yu felt a bit heartbroken. If Cui Xingzhou had become close friends with him earlier, he might have been embarrassed to compete with himself for Miantang.”

 

Cui Xingzhou quickly knelt and said, “Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. I only wish that if I don’t have the ability to report my victory and die on the battlefield, Your Majesty can also solve the hidden dangers and give the people of the world a bright future.”

 

For a moment, it was rare for the monarch and his subjects to confide in each other and maintain a harmonious atmosphere.

 

However, when Cui Xingzhou came back and briefly told Miantang about the situation, Miantang thought for a moment and said with lingering fear, “… Fortunately, you didn’t really become a confidant with the emperor, else, you and I may not have the chance…”

 

Cui Xingzhou picked her up disapprovingly and looked at her, saying, “Why is that?”

 

“You shouldn’t have deceived a friend’s wife at that time!” Miantang blinked her eyes and said.

 

Cui Xingzhou smiled disapprovingly and said, “If that’s the case, I naturally have to take care of you for him. A gentleman’s friendship is straightforward, and if you can’t even tolerate this, there’s no need to be close.”

 

Upon hearing his arrogant words, Miantang immediately remembered the Marquis Zhao who had been expecting her to become a widow on a certain date… Well, she just assumed she hadn’t said anything. She forgot that there were not many good friends that Cui Xingzhou could make deeply. Currently, women and brothers are all capable of stabbing behind their backs.

 

It was only after deciding to conquer the North Sea that Cui Xingzhou finally informed Old Princess Consort Chu.

 

After hearing that her son was going to fight in such a wild land again, Old Princess Consort Chu burst into tears and only said that her fate had been difficult and that she did not have a life full of children and grandchildren.

 

Cui Fu knew more than the Old Princess Consort. Upon hearing that her younger brother had volunteered, she privately sought advice from Miantang to persuade Cui Xingzhou to reconsider. In such a wild land, if the water and soil were not suitable, it was likely that there would be no return.

 

Besides, Miantang and Xiaoyi’er are also following, isn’t it too mischievous! How can women and children withstand the huge miasma there?

 

Miantang was leading a yard of maids to wrap medicinal herbs in the straw paper.

 

When she was in the Northwest, she was a self-taught and poor doctor. In recent days, she has read many health-preserving formulas suitable for the Guangdong and Guangxi regions. This dampness-removing soup is essential. So in addition to packing up, Miantang has also prepared a lot of medicinal herbs to cook soup and drink there these days.

 

After listening to her sister’s words, Miantang quickly grabbed Xiaoyi’er, who was stuffing ginseng into his mouth, smiling, she said, “If I don’t go with him, then you and Mother will have to worry about the prince’s daily life. Sister, rest assured, I have hired a doctor who used to live in Lingnan and let him accompany me along the way. As for Xiaoyi’er’s food and water, I will also be more careful. You see, Yi’er is not one of those naturally delicate children. I have always followed the habit of raising children in the countryside. When he has learned to climb, he is wearing a coat and crawls in the yard. It is indeed that following his parents is only harder and tiring, but it’s better than not having a family reunite… Sister, you’ve already figured it out. Do you want the prince to throw the eight-character post back to Lord Li’s face?”

 

In recent days, the Qingguo Mansion has made several more troubles, intending to take Jin’er away. Although they were eventually coaxed out by Prince Huaiyang, Cui Fu also became angry, with blisters on her lips.

 

Today, when she saw how carefully prepared Liu Miantang was, she had an idea in her heart. When she heard Miantang ask, she slowly said, “I’m thinking… Just like you, after agreeing to Lord Li’s marriage, I’ll go to Lingnan with you…”

 

Now it’s Miantang’s turn to be startled and say, “Sister, that’s not a place where anyone can stay. Have you decided?”

 

Cui Fu smiled and said, “You and Xiaoyi’er are going together, and how can Jin’er and I not go? The human nature of Qingguo Mansion, I know, is not to stop until they achieve their goals. Even if I go back to the State of Zhen, they will have to come and make trouble. When Xingzhou is not here, my mother and I will be worried day by day. Since that’s the case, isn’t their family making a fuss about taking Jin’er back? Let them go to Lingnan and ask for it. Jin’er is my lifeline, and no one can take him away.”

 

Cui Fu made the decision, only to hear that Lord Li was overjoyed. He once again generously spent money, arranged the dowry, and first transported it to the Huaiyang Prince’s Residence to meet his mother-in-law.

 

Old Princess Consort Chu looked up and down at Li Guangcai, feeling that based solely on his appearance, he was not as elegant and handsome as her ex-son-in-law.

 

And the Li family’s background was also slightly thin. Although he has several distant relatives who are also prominent, the prominent went on a downfall in his generation. If Li Guangcai were to gain popularity himself, he could at most marry a daughter of a rural landlord.

 

Old Princess Consort Chu held back her anger and decided to have her daughter marry a respectable second marriage so that the Qingguo Mansion could be a shame. But in the end, her daughter chose this poor man whose parents had all died.

 

There is a brunch of people who entered the imperial examination and became an official in the capital. If he were to recruit such a door-to-door son-in-law from the Huaiyang Prince’s Residence, at least he would have to choose someone with a better appearance!

 

The more Old Princess Consort Chu looked at her new son-in-law, the more dissatisfied she became.

 

How could such an unattractive boy have given his daughter some enchanting potion that she was willing to marry even with supporting him with her dowry?

 

Her son, Xingzhou, without looking repetitive, also said that Li Guangcai had a brilliant strategy in mind, telling his mother not to be too vulgar and judgmental.

 

Old Princess Consort Chu couldn’t make up her mind, so she secretly asked Miantang. Miantang gave her mother-in-law a pulse check while saying, “Lord Li has long admired our sister and has never married since she got married. It can be seen that he is not someone that has no principles. Moreover, he has a good temperament and treats Jin’er kindly, which is stronger than gold and silver mountains. I see that when he talks about poetry and songs with our sister, he is also congenial. Since he has a good temperament, has something to talk about, and loves our sister, what cannot be married? The Qingguo Mansion is wealthy, and Guo Yi looks like a gentleman too. However, our sister married over and suffer. Mother, don’t judge people by their appearance too much.”

 

Old Princess Consort Chu glared and said, “I judge people by their appearance. If Xingzhou looks bad and he deceived you like that, can you agree?”