After the two of them reopened the door and let someone in for more tea, Xie Pei had only one thought: being in love is great.

Su Wan tried hard to focus on the secret letter from the northwest.

Whose ears are red?

Anyway, hers is not popular.

The secret letter mainly talked about Hu Yanqiang, and there was also a letter from Hu Yanqiang to her, addressed to her specifically.

However, Su Wan decided to read the secret letter first before talking about anything else.

Huyan Qiang left on November 12 last year and reached the northwest in ten days.

One reason was that the weather would get even colder if they waited any longer, and the further northwest they went, the colder it would get, and the horses would be unable to move. The other reason was that she was anxious to go back. Huyan Qiang's daughter was only two or three years old, and when she left, she entrusted the child to the tribe members.

The news of her "death" should spread quickly, so she has to watch over it in secret.

According to Su Wan's original plan, the news that Huyan Qiang was secretly executed like other foreign spies was also released.

After all, Huaizong died because of this incident, so there was even more reason to kill them later.

The Yoshiyoshi clan's spies in the palace have been cleared out, and the situation outside the palace is definitely fine. Under the secret surveillance of Xie Pei's men, the Yoshiyoshi clan's spies in Kyoto have also been identified.

As soon as they heard that Huyan Qiang's body was cold, they checked several times and immediately sent the news back to the Yi clan outside the northwest pass.

Therefore, the news of Huyan Qiang's death and his own death arrived outside the northwest pass at almost the same time.

Huyan Qiang naturally did not take the official road, but went to some remote place, and even dressed in disguise, so he arrived even earlier than the news brought by the spies.

But the spies were left in the northwestern border city.

Huyan Qiang went directly to the Ding family garrison with the handwritten order from the Crown Prince of Tianxiang Kingdom.

Although her action looked very fierce, if she was caught by the Ding family army as a spy, she would be finished. However, Huyan Qiang knew very well how many spies from the Yi clans were in this border city, and she would only be safe if she arrived at the garrison.

Fortunately, Ding's army was reasonable. After reading the letter, they understood what was happening.

But let Huyan Qiang, a woman, lead the Luandu tribe in the future?

Can she?

Although women on the frontier have always been fierce, how can they survive on the grassland where the strong prey on the weak, carrying the name of fake death and leading a tribe of old, weak and sick people?

Hu Yanqiang saw their expressions and sneered: "You don't have to worry about this. Since I have decided to do this, I will definitely not regret it."

No matter what, it's better than being a slave.

Those people of Tianxiang Country will never understand.

Huyan Qiang settled down at the Ding family army's base, eating and living together with the women of the Ding family. Their relationship was neither too hot nor too cold, but they lived in peace.

But here, Huyan Qiang began to understand why the people of Tianxiang Country had an innate pride.

Their mother would always tell about the glorious past of Tianxiang Kingdom and even this land. Any history book she picked up would contain magnificent stories.

The women of the Ding family were originally reading to the children, and when they saw Hu Yanqiang was listening, they asked her to practice calligraphy with them.

These women could even write the language of the Shiyi tribe on the grassland, and they also knew something about the language of their Luandu tribe.

Are there any books on the bookshelf that record the ancestors of the Luandu people?

They themselves don’t remember the past, so how could Tianxiang Kingdom remember it?

Huyan Qiang felt mixed emotions, but he also felt that he had made the right choice in choosing Tianxiang Kingdom. It was definitely no coincidence that such a country and such a nation could be passed down for thousands of years.

During the time that the Ding family army was stationed, many things happened on the grassland.

For example, all the spies planted by the Shiyi clan in the imperial palace were wiped out, and Huyan Qiang was directly executed.

The leader of the Shiyi clan did not show any expression, but when he heard that the Emperor of Tianxiang Kingdom had passed away and the sixteen-year-old prince had ascended the throne, his expression became solemn.

Even though he is only sixteen years old, he is better than the one who died.

This is not a good thing for the Shigeyoshi clan.

Then, the people of the Luandu tribe came and asked to leave the Shiyi tribe. According to what had been said before, the princess left this time just for their freedom.

Not many people in the Luandu tribe knew about this matter, only a few of Huyan Qiang's confidants knew about it, and the evidence was in their hands.

The reason for doing this is to be prepared for any eventuality. Going to an enemy country, or a big country as a spy, or as a concubine, one already has the idea of ​​​​a chance of death.

Therefore, Huyan Qiang also arranged his funeral affairs so that if he died, his clansmen could still leave the clan.

The leader of the Yi clan did not look very happy.

But his tribe accommodates more than just the Luandu tribe. If he fails to fulfill his promise to the Luandu tribe this time, the dozen or so slave tribes will definitely not work hard in the future, let alone risk their lives.

Considering that Huyan Qiang was almost successful and almost disrupted the court of Tianxiang Kingdom, we let these hundreds of people go.

Huyan Qiang arrived at the northwestern border on November 22nd.

The Shiyi tribe received news around the 27th, and on December 10th, they let the Luandu people go, announcing that they were no longer slaves of the Shiyi tribe, would no longer enjoy the tribe's protection, and would have to stay away from the tribe.

The snow on the grassland in winter is enough to freeze people to death.

But the people of the Luandu tribe still set off. They were no longer slaves, and their descendants were no longer slaves, so they would definitely leave.

They were walking away from the Shiyi tribe on the snowy grassland. In fact, they didn't know which direction to go and could only leave aimlessly. It would take at least three or four days for the Shiyi tribe's spies following them to leave.

In other words, the tribes on the grassland have long been accustomed to such hardships.

During this period, the four or five hundred Luandu people all relied on the remaining dry food and the sedum grass in the snow to survive.

Among them are also the thieving craftsmen who fled from Kyoto to the northwest. I wonder if they regret it now.

Hu Yanqiang was so moved that tears came to her eyes.

No matter how much she went through in Tianxiang Country, she never cried, even when she almost died.

The women of the Ding family held them down tightly and said, "Wait a little longer. The people of the Shiyi clan have been walking back for half an hour, but they are always cunning and will definitely turn back."

We will naturally look back to see if these people have colluded with other large tribes, or if they have any conspiracy.

Sure enough, a quarter of an hour later, the Shiyi tribe member who had left came back on horseback, walked around the ragged, shivering Luandu people, and left with a loud laugh. As he left, he mocked them in the Shiyi tribe's language, "If you leave the Shiyi tribe, you will only freeze to death!"

The Luandu people could only grit their teeth, but they would not turn back even if they were shivering with cold and had to give all their warm clothes to their children.

What is a slave.

It can be used as food when there is really no food.

When there is a shortage of women, men will insult them at will; when there is a need for people to fight for their lives, men will rush to die.

If the elderly are a little too old, they will be thrown into the wild to freeze to death, which can also save food.

Of course they would not treat their own people like this, but this is the treatment they give to slaves.

But the snow on the grassland was too heavy, and they were not sure whether they could find a place to rest, nor were they sure what the future would be like.

But this is why the princess of their Luandu tribe fought for their freedom.

This time, the Shiyi clan left for two quarters of an hour, and the Ding family who had secretly followed them came to report: "They're gone. This time they're really going back to the Shiyi clan."

"Hurry, save people." The deputy general of the Ding family army said immediately.

Huyan Qiang was the first one to run out on horseback, tears unconsciously blurring his eyes.

The people of the Luandu tribe didn't dare to see in detail who it was. Finally, Huyan Qiang's two-year-old daughter shouted "Mom", which woke everyone up.

Half an hour later.

More than a dozen tents have been set up next to a slightly sloping mound.

The tents are in a semicircle to reduce the wind and cold in the open space in the middle.

In the largest tent, Huyan Qiang scooped broth for everyone. After drinking the hot broth, they felt warm all over.

I put less meat in it because I’m afraid that everyone might not be able to adapt if they eat too much at once.

No one could believe that Huyan Qiang was not dead, and even more so that she brought so many things and so many tents.

Finally, the Ding family army took them away and set up camp twenty miles outside the northwest border.

Everyone on the grassland knows that the closer they are to Tianxiang Kingdom, the better life will be. But they cannot be too close, otherwise everyone in the tribe will yearn for the life in Tianxiang Kingdom and become people of Tianxiang Kingdom. Especially the small tribes, within three to five years, they will all sneak into Tianxiang Kingdom. Anyway, they look a bit similar to the people in the northwestern border.

But they had no choice for the time being. The snow was too heavy and the wind was too strong. They needed time to recuperate.

If we are closer to here, we can get supplies at any time. This is what Princess Huyan Qiang fought for.

Once this cold winter is over, they can graze their livestock and their lives will become better.

After the Ding army left, Huyan Qiang held his daughter and looked far away, then looked in the direction of the Yi clan in the distance. How could he not avenge this hatred?

When the letter came back, Huyan Qiang's Luandu tribe had already settled down, and Huyan Qiang became the leader of the Luandu tribe. After the winter, she paid tribute to the Tianxiang Kingdom in the name of the tribal leader and officially became a foreign country.

Then the protection provided by Tianxiang Kingdom would be reasonable.

If any tribe wants to bully us in the future, they can send envoys to the northwestern border to ask for help.

We should help foreign countries on the northwestern border, otherwise why would they become your foreign countries and submit to you?

Su Wan felt that the reason why the tribes on the grassland were alienated from the Tianxiang Kingdom was because many small tribes requested help and were ignored by the northwestern border.

It's because their border defenses are so weak that they can't take care of them.

If we fail to take care of them, there will be ulterior motives over there, trying to invade the border.

As for the Luandu tribe, they have not immediately requested to become a vassal state because they are afraid that the Shiyi tribe will find out, so they have to wait.

After reading this, Su Wan breathed a sigh of relief.

Next to it was a letter written to her by Hu Yanqiang. The content of the letter was similar to these situations. Su Wan thought about it and decided to write a reply.

Even if two people have similar personalities, they should still interact with each other often.

Otherwise, what if she needs to use her horse riding skills in the future?

Besides, Su Wan also admired Hu Yanqiang as a woman. Her tenacity was impressive.

Xie Pei ground ink for Su Wan, and after watching Su Wan finish writing, he said, "Why did you completely change your writing style?"

"What else? Waiting to be discovered to be related to you?"

It was said that the handwriting of the two people had some shadows of each other before, but after Su Wan changed the writing style, it was completely different.

Xie Pei clicked his tongue a few times and helped Su Wan fold the letter: "It can be mailed tonight. Fortunately, there are not many people in their tribe, so it's okay to supply them with more."

Hearing this, Su Wan knew he was laying the groundwork.

As expected, Xie Pei said, "Our borders are still too weak, so I think the palace's expenses are still too high. What do you think?"

"So, you want me to help you manage the harem?" Su Wan looked at him.

Xie Pei nodded: "If you can help, that would be great. If not, I'll be more tired."

Su Wan smiled, but Xie Pei didn't understand why she was laughing.

Just say it.

The same thing was said by the Grand Secretary of Dongge and by Xie Pei, with completely different feelings.

The former seems like a reward, while the latter is like a plea.

It goes without saying which one is more respected.

Su Wan laughed again: "I don't know, forget it."

"Of course you can. We'll be releasing the palace maids in May this year, so there's still plenty of time."

The main thing is that many things can be changed quickly while Xie Pei has just ascended the throne. If we miss this opportunity, it will be difficult in the future.

Xie Pei naturally had no problem: "I'll leave this matter entirely to you. Not only will there be many changes in the palace, but there will also be changes in the court. You'll be very busy recently."

This is not just talk.

When a new emperor ascends the throne, he naturally has to use his own people, clearing out those who need to be cleared out and promoting those who need to be promoted.

Xie Pei was already considered quite good. Even the Grand Secretary of Jianji Palace was willing to give him some respect. The Ministry of Rites helped to cancel the marriage, allowing his granddaughter to return to his hometown with him in a dignified manner.

The entire family of the Grand Secretary of Jianji Hall is returning to their hometown of Jianzhou. When he leaves, other senior officials are there to see him off. Although Your Majesty has not expressed anything, he tacitly agreed to see him off, which is already good enough.

You have to know that he was firmly in the position of the Second Prince at first. When the Second Prince knew that his engagement was broken off, he even smashed some things in the Taimiao. Now he was directly imprisoned in a small room, and he would probably stay there for the rest of his life.

Comparing the two, no one dares to do it again.

If you leave gracefully, Your Majesty will give you some face. If you leave undignifiedly, then there is nothing to say.

Not only did these demoted officials have to leave the capital, but diplomatic missions from all over the country also returned one after another. However, as soon as they left, Kyoto had to start clearing out the spies again.

The palace is fine. Now people can only leave but not enter, which is another form of strict defense.

Apart from these, it is also difficult to appoint one's own people. Also, it is spring and money is needed everywhere. Those who need to repair the canals should do so so as not to delay spring ploughing. The various county governments below must also exercise restraint to prevent any ulterior motives.

There were things like building river embankments, roads, and city walls. There were so many things to do.

There are tax audits in various places, headquarters audits, memorials from lower-level officials, funding for official schools, this year's imperial examinations, and so on.

Anyway, Su Wan had only one idea after reading it, that if he were to ascend the throne, it would be best to do so in autumn, as the only important thing at that time would be the autumn harvest, unlike the beginning of the year when he had to take care of everything.

Fortunately, the scientific examination was held last year. Originally, an additional special examination should have been offered this year, but it has been postponed to next year.

The court also understands, it’s just that they are too busy!

Xie Pei and Su Wan haven't seen each other much since they met in the villa that day.

Su Wan was seconded to work in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but before the transfer, her position also changed.

In name she was a little palace maid, but in reality she was a senior palace maid. She was promoted to an eighth-rank female official and wore green clothes. Although she was not of a high rank, not even the smallest official of the seventh rank, it was still considered a promotion.

This green dress is made of nice material and has a light color, which makes it look particularly fresh and cute. Because the weather is still a little cold, I add a furry sleeveless jacket on the outside, which makes me look even more cute.

It would be correct to say that the promotion was due to Xie Pei, but it would also be fine to say that it was not.

When a new emperor ascends the throne, many people's positions will change. Their superior was previously the head of the Shangshi Division of the fourth rank, and now she becomes a fourth rank female official. Although her position has not changed, she has been promoted one level, and her salary and so on have also changed accordingly.

The following Shangshen Youlangzhong, formerly the deputy of Beishenfang Beicheng, a fifth-rank female official, was transferred to the Neiwei Dyeing Bureau to be in charge.

Although the head of the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau was also of the fifth rank, being the head of a local area was definitely considered a promotion.

She also took away the Shangshen Yuanwailang, who used to be her subordinate and was now transferred to the Neiwei Dyeing Bureau. The two of them continued to work as a team, as the principal and deputy.

As soon as the two of them leave, the people below will definitely be promoted.

Cuizhu's position has not changed, she is still the left doctor of Shangshen. Nan Cheng, the deputy of Nanshenfang, was transferred to Shangshenjian as the right doctor. This person is Li Rongrong's aunt.

Previously, Aunt Yonglan, who was the head of the Imperial Kitchen, was promoted to a fifth-rank female official and became a Yuanwailang.

The current head of the kitchen is Aunt Feng Ping, who was transferred from the West Kitchen.

The two senior palace maids below them were promoted to eighth-rank female officials, and there was no difference between them and the regular officials.

Two young palace maids were promoted to senior palace maids.

I won’t go into details below, but everyone knows who gets promoted and who doesn’t.

It would be strange if Su Wan didn't get promoted.

She achieved it all through her own ability.

So if we say that this matter depends on Xie Pei, it is indeed because he ascended the throne that everyone has the opportunity to be promoted together.

It’s not reliable, but it’s true, this is Su Wan’s own ability.

In the words of her superior, Su Wan could be a good female official with her own abilities, but who knows where the end will be.

They will decide on it from the Shangshenjian side.

There are changes in the north, south, west and miscellaneous libraries below, so I won’t go into details.

However, Li Rongrong and Yu Shu are still senior palace maids. They have been in this position for only a short time, so it is better for senior palace maids with more qualifications and experience to take on the position.

Chunxiang, on the other hand, also became a chief maid in the palace. It was actually very impressive that she could become a chief maid in the palace three years after entering it.

Cases like Su Wan are pure exceptions.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Xi, anyone with her ability would be sought after by everyone.

The changes in their Shangshi Division are so big, let alone other places.

Anyway, those who were able to stay were basically congratulating each other.

Su Wan also saw Wang Yibin, a young man whom she had known in the Ministry of Rites before. He passed the exam last year and worked in the Hanlin Academy for a while. Although he was just doing odd jobs, he had nothing to do with the fight for the throne. His father and brother also behaved honestly in their posts, so he was also on the list of people to be sent out this time.

Wang Yibin still felt regretful when he left Beijing. If only he could take Su Wan with him, he would definitely spend all his family wealth to give Su Wan the highest monthly salary.

The Minister of Rites wanted to cover his mouth directly.

If it weren't for my good relationship with your father, I really wouldn't want to continue sending you.

After hearing this, Xie Pei almost silently extended Wang Yibin's term of office.

Su Wan smiled when she received the farewell gift from Wang Yibin, knowing that he was just joking. However, Xie Pei sent a lot of the same vases, each of which was extremely exquisite.

You are the king of a country, and you still want to compare your financial resources with others?

This also made Su Wan helpless.

By the time those who were due for promotion were promoted, it was already the first day of February in the first year of Tianwan.

Su Wan was officially seconded from the Ministry of Rites to the Imperial Household Department and officially took over all affairs of the inner and outer cities of the imperial palace.

There is no mistress in the new queen's palace, and the few imperial concubines who are in good condition don't know the situation. It is most appropriate to let the Ministry of Internal Affairs or female officials take care of it at this time.

Except that the female official's rank was too low, everything else was normal.

Su Wan looked at the token in her hand, and then at the people from the Imperial Household Department, that is, Tong Xihong, the former general manager of the Treasury Department. Even the eunuchs around Tong Xihong were people she knew.

The deputy general manager was also the former general manager of the old prison, an acquaintance.

She doesn't have to worry about these interpersonal relationships at all, she can just do her job.

However, when she came, she still brought a box of peach blossom cakes that she made herself. She asked people sent by Xie Pei to secretly deliver two boxes to the Palace of Heavenly Purity in the inner palace, and she brought this box to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. She remembered that Tong Xihong loved sweets.

Sure enough, Tong Xihong took the thing with a smile, but not only did he take it with both hands, he also bent his body slightly.

His subconscious action made the eunuchs beside him feel a little strange.

But Su Wan reacted immediately.

Wow, Tong Xihong also knows the origin of the name of Tianwan country?

Come to think of it, he did know.

Although things will go more smoothly next time, it's still so weird.

Fortunately, the mountain of accounts was checked immediately, leaving Su Wan no time to think so much.

Why does the palace have so many account books to look at, why are there so many people, and why is so much money spent everywhere.

Why are Concubine Jiang and Concubine Chu competing for such a hard job!

Well, everything has to start somewhere.

Su Wan and Xie Pei both became busy at almost the same time.

When spring comes, flowers bloom and all things come to life.

The two of them were immersed in official duties, so what happened? Why did they both get promoted but end up having to work harder?

The two of them relied on Xiao Song's protection to pass letters back and forth, which was actually quite fun.

Only Guard Xiao Song was so angry that he went back to Bi Guang Shan to find his mother and shouted, "Mom! Didn't you say you would find me a wife? Where is my wife?"

Aunt Jun Ling looked at him and almost slapped him. What's wrong with him!

Is this crazy? This is because I have eaten too much dog food!