Chapter 102 The Murderous Wei Li

I borrowed thirty miners from Jizhou to mine coal in Pingzhou. This way, we won't have to buy coal from elsewhere every year. Besides, they are all skilled and experienced miners, so there's no chance of a collapse...

Wei Li eagerly opened the new letter sent by Zhao Xiheng.

He looked at it from every angle, chewing over every single word, but he couldn't see even a trace of longing in it; it was all about politics.

Today he's going to mine, tomorrow he's going to set up a girls' school, and the day after tomorrow he thinks the experimental field at the foot of Changbai Mountain is growing well. He even writes down in detail where the twenty candidates will be placed.

However, at the end, as if to make amends, a few words were added: "The child has been growing very fast recently."

Wei Li held the paper up to the bright light, but it was still the same. He clicked his tongue, unwilling to give up, and heated it over a candle flame, wanting to see if there was any hidden content.

He simply couldn't believe that Zhao Xiheng would disagree with him on every single word.

But that was indeed the case. He wanted to soak it in vinegar again, but he was afraid that it would smudge the writing and ruin the letter, so he had to give up.

Wei Li found it hard to accept. He slumped down and folded the letter, then lay on the table and blew a long breath, blowing a strand of hair that was hanging down his forehead. He did this repeatedly, seemingly enjoying it.

General Song invited him to dinner, but he couldn't muster any enthusiasm.

Is missing her husband really less important than doing these things? He's busy as a dog in the army every day, but he still finds time to think of her!

Wei Li pursed his lips.

Even if you don't miss him, doesn't the child miss his father?

If he doesn't go back soon, Zhao Xiheng might forget that she has a husband, not just a boss, outside.

The capital of Northern Goguryeo was Khabarovsk, a place that was much colder than Pyeongju.

Before the army entered Khabarovsk, Wei Li received no fewer than ten letters from the King of Goguryeo. At first, the King sincerely apologized and offered many bargaining chips in hopes of withdrawing his troops. In the end, there was a letter of surrender, requesting Wei Li to withdraw his troops in exchange for Goguryeo becoming a vassal state.

If Goguryeo were to become a vassal state of Pingzhou, then we would save our strength and no longer need to attack it. Everyone was overjoyed and looked at Wei Li, hoping he would make a decision.

“Pingzhou isn’t even a country yet, so why would it need a vassal state?” He tore up the surrender document decisively. “Besides, that old bastard said that Northern Goguryeo would become Pingzhou’s vassal state, but what about Southern Goguryeo?”

Everyone had witnessed Goguryeo's modus operandi, and Wei Li, having learned his lesson, naturally became more vigilant.

Wei Li said that Pingzhou had not yet established its own state and did not intend to claim the title of emperor, which surprised everyone. If he conquered Northern Goguryeo this time, it would be as easy as taking something out of a bag to conquer Southern Goguryeo.

In this way, the land area owned by Wei Li alone exceeded one-quarter of the total area of ​​the Great Zhou before the split, and the entire Northeast belonged to Wei Li.

At that time, the land he possessed would be several times larger than the land possessed by Zhao Mingjin, yet he had no intention of declaring himself emperor.

Wei Li seemed to sense their confusion, a slight smirk playing on his lips. He crossed his long legs on the table and chuckled dismissively, "What's so special about this tiny place? Never seen anything good before?"

Yang Zeli's eyes shone brightly. "As expected of our lord! He has great ambitions! He doesn't even care about such a vast territory. I must learn from my lord; I need to have a broad vision!"

Chen Ruojiang's cheeks twitched involuntarily. His lord was showing off again.

Good heavens, what are you saying? What, is your territory like cabbage in your eyes? You think hoarding just one basket is shameful, but you have to hoard a whole cellar to feel proud? I'll be watching your abilities, just to see how big your territory is!

According to you, Zhao Mingchen has already declared himself emperor. His place isn't even as big as your tiny little place. You're so narrow-minded, and you have no sense of propriety when you insult people.

However, Wei Li needed someone to flatter him at this moment, otherwise he would be embarrassed and prone to making a scene. So he nodded and praised him in the most enthusiastic and respectful tone, "Yes, it is because your subordinates are short-sighted and have a narrow perspective. No wonder you are our lord and we are not."

As soon as he spoke, everyone realized what he meant and quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, Vice General Chen is right!"

Wei Li raised an eyebrow, satisfied. "We'll attack Khabarovsk tomorrow. Once we're done, let's go home early."

They continued their endless flattery, hoping that Wei Li's gloomy expression would clear up.

Wei Li was counting on his fingers under the table. It was already past July, and Zhao Xiheng was seven and a half months pregnant. After he finished his journey to North Goguryeo, he would probably be able to go back to be with her to give birth before August.

He's been gone for three or four months already. This tiny place has kept him occupied for so long. I should have known better than to come.

By the time Zhao Xiheng finishes her postpartum confinement in eleven months, it will be too late to attack Southern Goguryeo. He promised to go rabbit hunting with her in the mountains, and if he fails to do so, she will resent him in her heart.

Wei Li thought for a moment, then looked up and nodded seriously, saying that this arrangement was very reasonable.

The generals had no idea what he was thinking. They only saw him nod and his expression improve, so they assumed their flattery had worked. They continued to shower him with compliments.

The girls' school was built at the foot of Changbai Mountain. With Sun Zhaoxun lighting the way, it meant that women could also become officials and bring glory to their families. Many high-ranking officials and nobles tried to send their daughters there.

Sun Zhaoxun asked Zhao Xiheng for instructions, but Zhao Xiheng didn't concern herself with it much. Her main focus these days was the mine. "Since you're already a Doctor of the Imperial Academy, you can handle the education aspect yourself. If anyone causes trouble, let them come up the mountain and make a scene for me."

With Zhao Xiheng's guarantee, Sun Zhaoxun no longer needed to fear the threats from powerful and wealthy people. She set a rule that all girls who were ten years old or older would be selected based on their exam scores.

In addition to the entrance exam, there are monthly exams, final exams, semi-annual exams, annual exams, and entrance exams. Anyone caught cheating or having someone else write their exam for them will be fined 1,000 taels of silver, and the offender and their children will be banned from entering government schools for life.

This directly impacts the next generation, effectively ending the practice of cheating on exams.

Everything is proceeding in an orderly manner, and Pingzhou's operations are gradually getting back on track.

Whenever Zhao Xiheng thought about the frequent good news from Goguryeo in the past few days, and the booming development in Pingzhou, a feeling of joy, satisfaction, and pride welled up from her heart.

She contributed to making this place better and better! She's a driving force behind it! It's so fulfilling.

Originally, she only regarded Pingzhou as the place where she married and the place where she could start a new life. Now, she has devoted her heart and soul to it and watched it grow stronger little by little. Zhao Xiheng has developed feelings for this black soil and for the people living on it.

Standing atop the mountain, looking down into the distance, she could see wisps of smoke rising from chimneys, and people moving like tiny black dots—her people, living in peace and prosperity, leading lives different from her own.

Thinking about it this way, her heart pounded so hard she wanted to cry. She was determined to make Pingzhou a better place.

Wei Li's calculations were spot on. Zhao Xiheng's belly was now seven and a half months along. Six months ago, it wasn't too big, and could be mostly concealed. But starting from the sixth month, the little one's growth seemed to increase rapidly, as if it were getting bigger every day.

Just as Zhao Xiheng rubbed her eyes and tried to sit up in bed, she suddenly realized that she couldn't sit up.

She touched her belly and found it looked like a small pot lid was covering it; if she glanced down slightly, she could see the pointed tip of her belly.

In short... it's so ugly...

A wave of sadness washed over her inexplicably, a sadness that even the joy of becoming a mother couldn't wash away.

Belatedly, she stretched out her arms, lifted her legs, and pinched her cheeks, only to find that she had gained weight all over her body, and not just a little. Her skin was still fair and tender, but white makes one look chubby; she must look like a round, plump mochi now.

Zhao Xiheng, covered by the blanket, burst into tears. She was no longer pretty!

She's been so busy lately that she hasn't had time to notice the changes in herself.

She didn't want to live anymore, crying and cursing, "Wei Li, you bastard, you heartless bastard, I'll chop off your dog head! You motherfucker, you're doing nothing right, waaaaah... I've become so ugly... while you're out there having a good time..."

Zhao Xiheng cried so loudly that a group of people rushed in from outside, pushing and shoving each other in a panic. They were so frightened that their legs went numb. Could something have happened?

Upon closer listening, one could hear that Zhao Xiheng was cursing, and it was Wei Li she was cursing...

They thought to themselves, "This is probably all over. Maybe he was dreaming about his lord? What despicable thing did he do in his dream?"

Xiao Tao quickly pulled back the blanket. "Your Highness, Your Highness, why are you crying?"

Zhao Xiheng stared at her for a moment, then suddenly pulled the blanket over her again. "I've gotten fatter and uglier, don't look at me!"

If it weren't for Wei Li, how could she have ended up like this? What an idiot! He actually thought that as long as he didn't penetrate her, she wouldn't get pregnant. Who taught him that?! Zhao Xiheng was getting angrier and angrier the more she thought about it.

Xiao Tao finally understood why Zhao Xiheng was crying and cursing. She quickly brought over the mirror and pulled Zhao Xiheng up to look at herself. "Your Highness, please look! Where are you ugly? You look great! Your complexion and skin are even better than before!"

“Liar…” Zhao Xiheng muttered under the covers.

"Really! When has Xiaotao ever lied to you? Get up and see."

The maids and nannies came up and smiled, urging Zhao Xiheng to get up and take a good look at herself. They said she wasn't ugly at all, but rather a great beauty.

Zhao Xiheng was half-believing and half-doubting. Instead of peeking out, she reached out a hand, snatched the mirror under the covers, and quietly lifted a corner of the blanket to let a sliver of light shine on her reflection.

It seems...it seems she hasn't gained much weight. She was just too scared, so she scared herself and thought she had gained a lot of weight.

She had gained a little weight on her cheeks. For a beautiful woman, gaining weight isn't called being fat, it's called being plump. She was a little plump, and her skin was fair with a rosy glow. She looked to be in good health. Most importantly, her child wasn't difficult and didn't cause her much suffering.

Her eyebrows and eyes were clearly defined, and they had even grown longer than before, making her look less like a young girl and more like a beautiful, mature woman.