Xiao Yan's mind raced, "I will only tell you if you promise me..."
Du Shaoxuan was extremely impatient and said, "Take him out."
Seeing his resolute attitude, Xiao Yan became extremely anxious. "There is a secret compartment in Prince Jin's study, which is filled with portraits of Mu Wanqing."
Du Shaoxuan rushed out and ordered as he passed by Xiao Yan, "Lock him up and don't let him run around."
Xiao Yan looked at his receding figure, feeling angry and ashamed at this man who had no sense of romance.
Du Shaoxuan carefully searched every corner of the study and found a secret compartment behind a mural.
Sure enough, it was all scrolls. When I opened them, I saw portraits of Mu Wanqing. The portraits were in different shapes and lifelike, and the realistic image jumped out of the paper.
Only someone who has seen her could draw her so vividly, and...
He looked at them for a while, then silently put all the portraits into his pocket without saying a word about the matter.
The wind passes without leaving a trace.
Du Shaoxuan emptied the treasure house of Prince Jin's Mansion and sent it all back to Xiliang.
As for the people in Prince Jin's Mansion, they were all thrown into jail, and after being detained for a period of time, they were all sent to the salt water lake in Fufeng City.
Both men and women were required to perform hard labor and dry salt.
This work was tiring and hard. The spoiled young masters and ladies cried and screamed and were severely whipped.
It's good enough that we didn't kill them, so why are you arguing? Do you think their death is not quick enough?
Everyone was desperate, but they didn't have the courage to die and could only endure the pain.
"Sixth sister, this is all your fault. It's because you offended General Du that we ended up like this."
"The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. Our Jin Palace is finished, and so are we."
Mu Wanqing had no idea about these things as she was busy in Xiliang.
Since spring plowing has to be arranged, it is time to raise cotton seedlings. This time there are enough cotton seeds, and they have been planted in various areas of Xiliang, accounting for half of the planting area.
The other half is still used to grow wheat, which is the staple food, and a certain planting area must be guaranteed.
Since there were not many corn seeds, she planted them on a large scale at her own Shuimu Farm, and was able to harvest a large number of high-quality seeds in the fall.
With experience gained this time, the farmers took extra care of the seedlings, and they are growing well.
On the other hand, she was also responsible for the logistics of the army, raising food and fodder, and arranging personnel for transportation.
I am busy until late at night every day and fall asleep as soon as I hit the bed.
Not only her, all departments in Xiliang were extremely busy, like high-speed machines, with a steady output.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief until they captured Prince Jin's Mansion.
Mu Wanqing arranged a small celebration banquet so that everyone could relax.
The celebration banquet was in the form of a buffet, with food lined up and people could take what they wanted, which was quite novel.
Mu Wanqing took a plate of food and picked a seat at random. Soon, a group of people gathered around her.
Sun Tongzhi was beaming with joy, "We are sure to win this battle."
The retreat of the Jin prince's army was cut off, and they were fighting with the imperial court in the front. They were attacked from both sides and were defeated in a moment.
"The Jin King's army is still outside. We cannot let our guard down."
Sun Tongzhi took an egg tart and ate it with gusto. "Don't worry, our young master may not be good at other things, but he is a good fighter."
Miss Du was not happy, "What do you mean nothing else is possible?"
Sun Tongzhi spoke too quickly and coughed awkwardly several times, "Ahem, I mean he is famous for his ability to fight. With him around, Xiliang is as stable as a rock."
He turned his head and looked at Mu Wanqing, "County Lady, this egg tart is so delicious, can I pack a few?"
Mu Wanqing slowly picked out a few of her favorite foods without saying much.
She knew this was a change of subject, so she didn't say anything. She nodded slightly and said, "Okay, tell the staff and don't forget to take it when you leave."
Miss Du also looked over and said, "Thank you, County Lady."
Others also offered, “I want it too.”
"I also want to bring some back home for the elderly and children at home."
Mu Wanqing didn't expect the egg tarts to be so popular. "Go ask if there are any more. If not, make some more."
Miss Du loves sweets very much, and she would ask the servants in the mansion to buy a few for her at the snack street whenever she had nothing to do.
“Why aren’t there any egg tarts on the snack street?”
Not only were there no egg tarts, there were no cream cakes either. If you wanted to eat them, you could only find Mu Wanqing.
The Mu family does have a group of chefs who make Western pastries, all of whom were trained by Mu Wanqing.
But Mu Wanqing is the highest official in Xiliang, who would have the nerve to keep looking for her?
They can only eat as much as they want during various festivals and celebrations.
Mu Wanqing waved her hand, "It's too wasteful, the cost is a bit high, and it's not suitable for a popular snack street."
Nowadays, both white sugar and brown sugar are very precious. Eggs are also good for nourishing the body. The ingredients used are all of the best, and all the ingredients added up are not cheap.
The snack street is positioned to be affordable for ordinary people. Wraps, pancakes, and cold noodles are all only a few cents each, while the more expensive ones are more than ten cents.
Miss Du thought about it and said, "We can open a pastry shop in a department store and sell at a reasonable price."
"Guo Er has won the exclusive operating rights, so let him open a branch in Xiliang someday." Mu Wanqing has made enough money from glass, and she is usually busy and too lazy to spend her time on this.
Hey, Guo Er has opened many restaurants in Jiangnan, why doesn't he open one here? I'll ask him what's going on when I have time.
Time passed quickly, and in the autumn harvest season, cotton had reached the harvest period. With the experience of the previous year, various regions picked cotton in an orderly manner and processed it into cotton cloth, cotton batting, and alcohol cotton balls. While being self-sufficient, they still had surplus.
Mu Wanqing treated the remaining items as welfare and took the initiative to open the door to welcome the urban residents of the Du family army, who could buy them at a low price based on their household registration.
The residents were delighted. Princess Qingping is so nice and they can always trust her.
After the autumn harvest, the Du family army returned to the capital. From then on, the two-year war finally ended and there were no more rebels.
Yes, back to the court. Du Shaoxuan brought his army and escorted the defeated Prince of Jin and his entourage back to the court.
The emperor personally led all the civil and military officials to welcome the emperor. Du Shaoxuan arranged a grand surrender of captives, which made the emperor very happy.
At the celebration banquet, the emperor was extremely pleased to see his cousin in high spirits, and he immediately appointed Du Shaoxuan as the King of Xiliang, a hereditary title that would last forever along with the country.
Du Shaoxuan was a little surprised, but happily stepped forward to receive the order.
He obtained the title of king through his own ability and has a clear conscience.
The civil and military officials were shocked. It was against the rules that they were not informed in advance.
The deputy assistant was the first to stand up and said, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely not allowed. General Du is in a high position at such a young age. I'm afraid he won't be able to convince the people."
On the other side, Prime Minister Xu was reluctant to retire and return home, so he just married off his granddaughter. After this incident, he no longer expressed his opinions in the court, and became silent, like an invisible man.
Nowadays, the Second Assistant Minister has become the head of all officials and is in great demand.
The emperor looked at them coldly, "Who is dissatisfied? You are dissatisfied? If you can also wipe out the rebels, eliminate the chaos in the world, and restore the court, I will give you a throne."
Du Shaoxuan rescued the emperor many times, helped him sit firmly on the throne, and fought wars in the south and the north to clear all obstacles for him. His hard work and contributions were great, and he deserved such a high reward.
This is all bought with blood.
The Minister of Rites stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the example of the princes' rebellion is still before our eyes. You must not repeat the same mistake."
It is not good for the country to appoint a king with a different surname. People's hearts are fickle. Du Shaoxuan is loyal now, but can we guarantee that he will be loyal all his life? Can we guarantee that his descendants will be loyal?
Du Shaoxuan was furious. "How dare you compare me with those thugs? Are you trying to force me to rebel? You have ulterior motives and cannot bear to see the court in peace."
"You...you..." Shang Shu, the Minister of Rites, was so angry that his face turned red. "Your Majesty, Xiliang has too much power. With a prince and a county lady, people can't help but worry."
Other officials came out to support and opposed the emperor's enthronement of the king.
The emperor said calmly, "I am really touched by your concern for the country and the people. Right now, there is a huge problem waiting for you to help me."
"After this disaster, people's lives are difficult, all industries are declining, and the people are living in poverty. How can we help the people rebuild their homes and restore the economy and people's livelihood? Lord Wang, this mess caused by the bandits is left to you to solve."
The face of the Minister of Rites who was named turned green, "I am terrified. I do not have the ability to reach the sky."
The war is over, but wherever the flames of war have spread, there is no human habitation within a hundred miles, it is extremely desolate, and there are too many problems left over.
"Tell me, is there any way to solve this problem?"
The Minister of Rites' mind raced, trembling with fear, "First, appease the people, resume production, and open the treasury..."
His voice stopped abruptly and his face looked embarrassed.
The emperor slowly looked at everyone, "The treasury is empty, and everything needs money. The people are looking forward to the court's help. As civil and military officials, shouldn't you show some support?"
All the officials secretly groaned in their hearts.
Du Shaoxuan was the first to step forward and said, "I will donate 100,000 taels of silver, and I will donate 100,000 on behalf of the Princess of Qingping County."
The emperor was pleased. "Well, this is a minister who loves his country and his people. What about you?"
The officials looked at each other, feeling angry. This was clearly a forced donation, was it really not a staged show that they had discussed beforehand?
Xu Shoufu, who was acting like a wallflower on the side, winked at the censor, who immediately stood up and said, "General Du, why didn't you hand over the spoils you got from conquering the Prince of Jin's Mansion to the national treasury? You are embezzling money, please punish me, Your Majesty."
The ministers' eyes lit up. That's right, isn't it? He didn't hand over the spoils of war.
They jumped out one after another like mad dogs smelling blood.
"General Du, you actually embezzled the spoils of war. How can you be worthy of the emperor who loves you so much?"
"You are so bold, disloyal, and evil-minded. Your Majesty, you should investigate his crimes."
Facing the siege of the crowd, Du Shaoxuan was extremely disdainful, "Your Majesty, I have already sent those dead things to Xiliang..."
The censor was excited as if he had found evidence, "Okay, you admit it. Your Majesty, you must not shield General Du, who is so proud of his achievements, this time."
Du Shaoxuan rolled his eyes. "I haven't finished my words yet. Why are you in such a hurry? There are markets and auction houses in Ganzhou City. You can usually get a good price if you sell goods there. Things that sell for a thousand taels in the capital can be multiplied several times in the hands of Princess Qingping."
"If it goes directly into the national treasury, who knows if something will go wrong. The real thing will become fake, and the fake thing will become waste."
The officials' faces turned pale, but Du Shaoxuan didn't care. He bowed to the emperor and said, "I have the emperor's permission."
So, it’s not their turn to talk nonsense.
The emperor raised his lips slightly, "Yes, I allow it."
The court officials were silent. These cousins were so mean. They must have done it on purpose.
A voice suddenly sounded, "I have a suggestion. Princess Qingping is good at economic management. Why not transfer her to the Ministry of Revenue to fill up the treasury?"
Everyone looked over and found that it was the Minister of Rites, a traitor!
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