In the evening, Helian Jue returned from the military camp.
He went straight into the main courtyard, took off his outer robe, and washed his face and hands.
After changing into a loose robe and tidying himself up, he went to the main room.
"Ah Yuan, how are you feeling today? Did the children bother you?"
Helian Jue was very familiar with the process, and immediately sat down in front of Xie Yuan and began to massage her legs.
As the months progressed, Xie Yuan's belly swelled rapidly, like a balloon, at a speed unimaginable to those around her.
With such a large belly, even though pulse diagnosis couldn't be as precise as an ultrasound, Physician Feng and his wife Helian Jue were certain: it definitely wasn't a child.
It might not even be twins.
There may be three or four children.
Upon hearing the imperial physician's diagnosis and glancing at Xie Yuan's prominent belly, Helian Jue's usually aloof and cold eyes were filled with worry and a strange sense of awe.
Good heavens, so many children?
With a body as slender as A-Yuan's, could she possibly endure the pain of childbirth?
no!
We must find a reliable midwife and make thorough preparations in advance.
Helian Jue did not tell Xie Yuan, but secretly summoned the eunuch Duofu, who was also the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
"Go! Even if you have to search the entire Lingnan region for me, find a good midwife."
"...If we really can't find her in Lingnan, then we'll go to the capital. We must find someone who can protect the Princess at all costs!"
When Helian Jue issued these orders, his expression even carried a hint of madness and ruthlessness.
His appearance was like that of a ferocious beast poised to pounce.
If anything goes wrong, he will immediately unleash his sharp claws.
Duofu had served Helian Jue since childhood and knew his master all too well.
But this was the first time he had ever seen his master so afraid and so fierce.
Duofu knew that if anything were to happen to the Princess Consort, his master would definitely "go mad".
It's not the feigned madness of the past, but the kind of insane madness that would cause rivers of blood to flow!
Duofu shuddered and dared not imagine any further.
He accepted the order and searched desperately.
Not only midwives and female doctors, but even the shamans of the Liao and Li tribes deep in the mountains were visited by Duofu's imperial guards.
It is said that the furthest they have gone is to Yazhou, and they have made some progress.
Duofu carefully selected and secretly observed and experimented.
He was waiting for the results; only when he was absolutely certain would he dare to go and report back to Helian Jue.
Helian Jue gave the instructions, but did not simply abandon the matter.
He summoned the imperial physician to examine his pulse every two days, and Helian Jue reviewed all the pulse records and prescriptions.
During the day, I try not to go out and just stay with Xie Yuan.
If there is absolutely official business, I will rush back on the same day.
After returning home, she massaged Xie Yuan's legs and read to the baby as part of prenatal education.
In their spare time, the couple would also discuss some government affairs.
Today was no exception.
Xie Yuan briefly talked about the child's situation before steer the conversation towards the Zhou family.
"Prefect Zhou's daughter is very capable."
"I wanted to select her as a lady-in-waiting, but unfortunately Madam Su did not agree."
"However, with her in charge of the Zhou family's internal affairs, there shouldn't be any trouble in Governor Zhou's backyard."
With a stable backyard, Zhou Wencheng could focus on his work.
"Um!"
Helian Jue didn't care about Zhou Wencheng and his family.
His simple reply was merely a response to Xie Yuan's words, not a genuine expression of concern.
"Your Highness, I would like to entrust the affairs of the Li tribe and several Liao and Li tribes to Governor Zhou."
Xie Yuan saw that Helian Jue was not very interested, but did not stop talking.
She looked at Helian Jue's face and said softly, "He is the governor, and it is his duty to handle matters such as clearing wasteland and registering households for the mountain people."
It's a duty!
But it is also a great achievement.
When the imperial court assesses officials, GDP is not taken into account.
Instead, it depends on how much the population increased and how much wasteland was reclaimed during the tenure of a local official.
Only with people and land can taxes be collected, and only then can more people perform corvée labor.
Lingnan has a unique situation, with many mountains and even more villages.
These Liao and Li tribes were basically all "unregistered residents".
They neither descended the mountain nor were registered in the imperial court's household register.
Even if they occupy land, they don't pay taxes.
Now, through the feud between the Li tribe and Queen Wuyuan, Helian Jue has subdued the Li tribe.
The newly appointed leader of the Li tribe, Li Baozhu, has agreed to Helian Jue's conditions: he will not leave the mountain, but he must register and pay land tax!
Besides the Li tribe, there were also more than a dozen other tribes that reached agreements with Helian Jue.
Once all these tribes are registered in Yuezhou, it will directly increase the population of Yuezhou by tens of thousands.
The imperial court mostly divided prefectures and counties based on population.
It governs 30,000 households, which is the upper prefecture.
If there are 20,000 households, then it belongs to the Central Plains.
Those with fewer than 20,000 households are considered lower prefectures.
Originally, Yuezhou was a lower prefecture with only 13,000 registered households.
Helian Jue's actions directly transformed Yuezhou into Zhongzhou.
If we put in a little more effort, we might even be able to become a superior state!
In other words, Helian Jue was not a prefect; otherwise, he would have been able to achieve great success simply by reporting the increase in population.
When the imperial court conducts its "grand examination" (a large-scale assessment of officials), he will surely be rated as "superior".
A high-quality evaluation is a key to promotion.
Unfortunately, Helian Jue was not a prefect. He was a prince whom the court feared, and not only could he not claim credit, he also had to conceal these matters.
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