Chapter 839 A Dream of Youth 371
Li Yu cannot stay in Sichuan. Given his personality and the remote location of Sichuan, far from the emperor's reach, his ambition will only grow.
But during the evening banquet, she still glimpsed Li Yu's determination to stay here. Like Yu Tong, he wanted to be a local tyrant, only outwardly obeying the court's orders.
With the Empress Dowager keeping an eye on him while he was wielding power in the capital, Li Yu simply moved to another location.
Don't be fooled by the fact that this place is in the south; it's still a good place to make money. This trip not only resulted in Yu Tong's money being completely taken from the warehouse, but he also ransacked the place himself.
Generals who want to support their troops are generally overlooked by superiors. Xie Ning didn't want to dwell too much on Li Yu's rampant corruption; she just wanted to move people away from Luzhou so she could replace them and restore the people's livelihood.
During this time, many people found out Xie Ning's identity and immediately became enthusiastic towards her.
Seeing that Xie Ning had unknowingly drunk three cups of wine, Xu Hongying frowned slightly, then whispered to the maid beside her to replace the wine on Xie Ning's table with flower tea.
Seeing the actions below, Li Yu sighed inwardly. Having a few more women was inconvenient. Given Xie Ning and Xu Hongying's positions, it wouldn't be right for him to not invite them to a banquet.
However, the thought of the treasures and beauties sent by the wealthy family of Luzhou cheered Li Yu up again.
After the banquet, Xie Ning let Xu Hongying leave first, while she stayed behind to wait for Li Yu.
"Commander Li." Xie Ning bowed. Her relationship with Li Yu was so-so. In fact, because of her friendship with Fu Yao and Liu Yuanchang, Li Yu didn't really like her.
Li Yu kept the matter of Lingzhou in his heart.
Especially considering that Fu Yao and the others were promoted while he was demoted later, Li Yu was not a fool. Even if Consort Jing was partly to blame, it was mainly because of his dereliction of duty during the western expedition.
After suppressing the rebellion, the Empress Dowager explained the whole story to him, which meant that he could atone for his mistakes by making amends for his merits. In other words, he might only be reinstated to his original position, but not promoted.
This infuriated Li Yu, which is why he allowed his subordinates to plunder and amass wealth.
As long as this matter doesn't escalate, even Xie Ning can't control it. After all, she can't keep an eye on every single soldier, and besides, who gave Xie Ning that power?
Yan Xi.
However, Li Yu was under the jurisdiction of the Empress Dowager, not Yan Xi, and he looked down on such a young female emperor.
Since he knew he wouldn't get promoted, he was even less likely to be under Xie Ning's command. However, in order to get Xie Ning to give him more military equipment, Li Yu did a good job of putting on a good show.
At least Xie Ning was never treated coldly.
"Does Lord Xie have something to discuss?"
Xie Ning looked at the moonlight outside the window; tonight was a rare clear night with a full moon.
"Does Commander Li intend to stay in Luzhou?" Xie Ning didn't beat around the bush, after all, Li Yu was most impatient with ambiguous questions.
Li Yu was slightly taken aback, then laughed a few times. "Luzhou is not yet stable, so I naturally have to stay here to manage it." He held considerable military power, and even though there were many barbarians here, it was a good opportunity for him to practice.
Moreover, he is not young anymore, and it is time to find a place to settle down. Although Luzhou is not as rich as other places, it is located at the confluence of two rivers and has convenient transportation. With roads, how can it not become rich?
He simply waits for others to show him filial piety.
Xie Ning thought to himself, "As expected," and couldn't help but frown and sigh, looking worried.
"Commander Li, you've treated me well, so I'm naturally thinking of you in return." This refers to the money Li Yu secretly gave her. Xie Ning didn't refuse it out of pride; she accepted it because she knew she would have a use for it.
"Luzhou is quite remote, located in the south of Sichuan, where there are many barbarians and little civilization. Now, after such a great war, the people will probably not recover for at least ten years."
It's probably not appropriate to establish the Grand Marshal's Mansion here..."
As Li Yu listened, he couldn't help but interrupt Xie Ning, "Lord Xie, when did I say I wanted to establish the Grand Marshal's Mansion here?" He probably didn't have that authority yet.
After all, even if he were to be reinstated to a higher official rank, it wouldn't be possible for him to reach such a high position.
Xie Ning feigned surprise, then said disapprovingly, "Commander Li has such achievements. You quelled the chaos in Sichuan. The cabinet ministers will recommend you for merit. At the very least, you should be appointed as a Pacification Commissioner. Moreover, to prevent further rebellions in this area, Yao should establish the Capital Marshal's Office."
"In the Marshal's Mansion, besides you, who else is qualified to serve as its head?"
Li Yu was flattered and instantly forgot his prejudice against Xie Ning. He pulled Xie Ning aside and started complaining, feeling that his achievements were more than enough to make him a pacification envoy.
Unfortunately, the Empress Dowager was pressuring him, but he didn't say anything about it; it's best not to talk about family matters to outsiders.
Xie Ning slightly curved her lips, then slowly guided Li Yu's gaze toward Yizhou, the center of Sichuan, which was also the most suitable place to establish the Grand Marshal's Mansion.
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