"Where have you been these days?"

Huqin placed four dishes on the table, opened a bottle of wine, and asked Xu Yunqing who was sitting at the table.

"I've arranged some things... I was wondering if you've finished composing the song for 'Song of the Wine'? I heard that the courtesan Yingmu Hanayu from Yinhe Jiutian is singing it."

Huqin poured Xu Yunqing a glass of wine and said with a smile, "Why are you in such a hurry? I went to Yinhe Jiutian last night and heard Yingmu Huayu sing it. The music was composed pretty well, but it lacked the momentum of the other one."

She raised her glass and looked at Xu Yunqing. "Come on, let's drink to two lonely women and to the good old days at Jinling Hongxiuzhao!"

Xu Yunqing glanced at Huqin and said, "Still so pretentious!"

She also raised her glass, and the two clinked their glasses and drank a glass of wine.

"You definitely didn't go to Yinhe Jiutian to listen to music. Did you find anything?" Xu Yunqing took the bottle of wine and poured a glass for Huqin.

"If the discovery was so easy, it wouldn't be the eldest princess's work. I say, are we just worrying about something we don't care about? Great Xia is impregnable, and your son holds military power. What kind of trouble can Yu Shurong cause?"

This is the truth. Xu Yunqing has been thinking about this issue these days, wondering if he is being too paranoid.

Throughout history, there are several conditions that must be met for a rebellion. The first is that the people are suffering and the country is in chaos.

The country is now at peace and the people are living happily. This does not provide any basis for inciting the people to rebel.

"But why did Yu Shurong go to such great lengths? What was her real intention?"

"I think the rumor from the Yu Dynasty is probably true. Think about it, if that rumor is true, then Ku Chan is Yu Shurong's son."

"Ji Yungui said that Kuchan left Jang Geum City and went to Peacock Country. This is what Fan Tianning told him. He said that Kuchan went to Peacock Country to preach the scriptures and spread Buddhism."

"Yu Shurong is his mother. The Peacock Kingdom was beaten so badly by your son, so it must be very dangerous. This mother cared about her son and took those treasures and the former Seven Swords of the Sword Forest to the Peacock Kingdom to protect her son. This is understandable."

Xu Yunqing pondered for a moment and asked doubtfully, "Then she wouldn't have to sneak off to Peacock Country in disguise!"

"She is the eldest princess, after all. If she leaves so blatantly, she might be worried that your son will get suspicious, or she might be worried about not being able to take the gold, silver, and jewelry with her."

Huqin raised her glass again and gestured to Xu Yunqing, "She knows the emperor's ruthlessness, and considering her sensitive status, I still don't find it surprising."

"Besides... even if she helps his son unify the Peacock Kingdom, Your Majesty was able to destroy the Peacock Kingdom in the past, and he can do the same in the future. So, there's nothing to worry about when it comes to drinking. As for your problem... let's finish this drink first."

Xu Yunqing picked up his wine glass and asked, "What's my question?"

"Do one."

The two drank another cup. Huqin smacked his lips and said with a smile, "Fatty, I'm afraid I'm waiting for you in the Taoist temple. You ran out and didn't go back... Yunqing,"

Huqin leaned forward and asked in a low voice with great curiosity, "We're alone here. Tell me, whose son is the emperor?"

Xu Yunqing glared at Hu Qin and said, "Stop imagining things and drink!"

Of course Xu Yunqing didn't say anything, and she absolutely couldn't tell anyone. She poured two glasses of wine and quickly changed the subject:

"Would you like to go to Peacock Country with me?"

"…Just the two of us?"

"Take the fat man with you."

Huqin pondered for a moment and said seriously, "It's not that I'm timid, but you'd better give up this idea. What is your son's Northern Expedition for? To rescue Fatty!"

"Do you think it's fun to have an army of 400,000 men trek across a distant foreign land? If you go again, will your son have to launch a second Northern Expedition?"

Hu Qin took a deep breath. "War is ultimately a waste of money and manpower. I advise you not to go. Even if Ku Chan is powerful, even if he has Yu Shurong's support, it will be extremely difficult for him to unify the Peacock Kingdom because he is from Da Xia after all."

"When Ji Yun returns, I'll talk to him and ask him to send spies from the Tianji Pavilion. After all, they are more professional."

Xu Yunqing thought about it and nodded. His son was already very tired, so he should not cause any more trouble for him.

"Okay, I'll listen to you. Let's have a drink."

"I'll talk to my son about this. Let's not worry about it anymore. Do you want to go to Leah Continent after the New Year?"

The two drank a glass of wine, and Huqin laughed, "It's not a good idea for you to hide from Fatty like this. How about I accompany you to the Taoist temple after the New Year?"

Xu Yunqing didn't comment, but he was thinking in his heart, it's New Year's Day, what is the fat man doing at this time?

Susu also returned to Chang'an for the New Year. Wouldn't it be a bit too lonely for him to stay in the Taoist temple alone?

I heard that Yan Beixi and others came to Chang'an to celebrate the New Year, so the palace must be extremely lively.

…

…

The Taoist temple is indeed quite deserted, and the imperial palace in Chang'an City is indeed quite lively.

There were five large tables in the retirement hall. Fu Xiaoguan, his ten wives and all his children were in the retirement hall.

Dong Shulan and her two children were talking around Dong Kangping and Mrs. Dong. The two children had grown up without ever seeing their grandparents. They were very happy but also very nervous at the moment, a kind of unfamiliar nervousness.

Yan Xiwen and Yan Beixi sat together, and Qin Chengye and Qin Ruoxue, brother and sister, as well as Qin Mowen and Qin Bingzhong sat together.

Zhuo and his entourage, Zhuo Bie Li, Nangong Yiyu, Meng Changping and Fu Xiaoguan sat together. They were not talking about family matters, but state affairs.

"My goal for the navy is to build nine fleets. This year, we have achieved two goals for naval construction. We have built the East China Sea Port and the Blue Sea Port along the coast of the mainland. Together with the three naval ports of Xiaye, Shenzhen, and Xihai, the five major naval ports can now provide coastal defense for Daxia."

"Secondly, the recruitment of naval personnel has achieved good results. The current staffing can meet the needs of the six fleets with a total of 180 warships."

"The Ministry of War has two priorities for next year. The exploration of navigation routes must be completed next year, and the training of naval personnel cannot be slackened."

"The Ministry of Industry plans to build 270 warships to meet the needs of the nine fleets by the end of next year or the year after. You must reserve candidates for these captains as soon as possible."

"I personally suggest that we select some soldiers from the army for the navy. For a long time to come, the ocean will be our battlefield."

"The internal combustion engine technology at the Scientific Research Institute is being further improved. If this thing can be mass-produced, the performance of our Daxia warships will be greatly improved, and we can also build larger ships."

"By the way, let me show you something strange."