The gift was placed on the table. Chu Qi wanted to give it to Shi Qian in person, but she put it aside for the time being and waited until she finished her government affairs and then washed up before going to find her.
After writing the reply, Chu Qi sealed the letter.
After all, he was not an emperor who ascended the throne naturally, and the conditions were limited. Even the paper used to submit memorials was not the best. Fortunately, the ministers were regular ministers, and even though the conditions were not good, the memorials they wrote were very well-written and no different from those submitted in normal court.
Seeing Xuanyou asking where the new batch of refugees would live, Chu Qi thought for a while, circled out an empty area, and divided the land according to the number of people in each household.
Due to the high number of casualties from disasters and wars, the people of Yan State were divided into four groups.
The population of Chu was not large to begin with, and General Wei had the help of gunpowder bombs and reinforcements from Qi. While he was protecting Chu, he also conquered a lot of territory. Now what Chu lacked the least was land. For every group of people who came over, as long as they expressed their willingness to be citizens of Chu, Chu would generously distribute land to them.
As the news spread, the news of the Chu State's land distribution made countless people greedy, not to mention that the Chu State would give the victims jobs. As long as they worked, they could eat. Countless people came to the State of Chu. The number of people in the State of Chu increased, and the land became more and more.
In just two months, it had annexed almost all the surrounding states, becoming the strongest of the three rebel armies. Even the Marquis Zhongwu sent by the State of Yan had to avoid its edge and fled undefeated to attack the other two rebel armies.
Let’s not talk about the above for now.
Shi Qian knocked on the study door.
Chu Qi heard the noise, looked up, and waved to the servant beside him to open the door.
Shi Qian walked in and saw Chu Qi sitting at the desk. She couldn't help but be dazed for a moment.
Compared to the past few days, he looked a little thinner, which might be due to the fact that he was busy going out every day to check on the people's sentiments and deal with matters.
The black dragon robe that was originally tailor-made for him looked a little empty around his waist.
Shi Qian felt a little distressed. Yun Chang was always out and rarely stayed at home. Today, she heard that Yun Chang was coming back to handle official business, so she went to the kitchen to make some nourishing soup for him.
Shi Qiang herself had never done any cooking and her cooking skills were not very good, but fortunately she had her mother and the cook to guide her, so the food she cooked was not too bad.
"Why is Wanwan here?" Chu Qi smiled gently when she saw Shi Qiang, which was completely different from her usual cold and serious expression when she was out and about:
"I want to wash up and clean myself before looking for you."
Chu Qi was out all day observing the people's sentiments and checking the progress of his governance policies. Although most of the people were good, there were inevitably assassins sent by enemy forces. Chu Qi killed those who should be killed and threw those who should be interrogated into prison for interrogation. The gloomy temperament that he had deliberately acquired when he was a eunuch had long been covered by it.
Only when facing people close to you will the solemnity be replaced by gentleness.
"I made chicken soup for you," Shi Qian moved closer with lotus steps. She smelled the faint smell of blood on Yun Chang and felt a little uncomfortable, but she didn't show it. She found the pile of government affairs on the table, so she silently put the chicken soup on the table, "Did I disturb you?"
In fact, she knew it without asking. It was just that she hadn't seen him for many days and she missed him very much. Even if they didn't talk, it would be great to sit together, as long as she could see him.
"It's okay. Most of these things are meaningless and can be dealt with quickly."
Chu Qi pinched her brows, thinking that she would have to set some rules on the content of memorials when she had time. Her ministers continued to attend court in the way they did in Yan Kingdom. Even if there was nothing to do, they would submit a memorial to her every two days asking "How was your Majesty today?"
"The chicken soup smells so good. Wanwan's cooking skills have improved." Chu Qi praised. Shi Qian's almond-shaped eyes instantly brightened up. She pursed her lips slightly, revealing a hint of shyness.
She was really hungry, so she put aside her official duties and sat down with Shi Qiang to eat chicken soup.
Perhaps because of her past training, Hong Xing was quite perceptive. She helped bring the chicken soup and then left.
Chu Qi dismissed the servants, and only two people were left in the huge study room.
"I've neglected you these days." Chu Qi poured a bowl for Shi Qian and then poured for herself.
She seemed to want to talk about family matters. As soon as she started talking, Shi Qian hurriedly said:
"No, you are doing this for the Chu State. I don't think you are neglecting me."
Chu Qi looked at the panic on the woman's face and suddenly smiled:
"Wanwan seems a little afraid of me?"
You know, in order to avoid a sense of distance, Chu Qi never called himself "I" in front of her, but continued to call himself "I" as before.
But after not seeing her for a few days, her daughter Wanwan actually became a little more fearful.
Shi Qian bit her lip when she heard that. She really wanted to say that she was not afraid, but when she met her lover's smiling eyes, she was unable to say it, and tears welled up in her originally dry eyes.
"What happened? My Wanwan has been wronged." Chu Qi put down the spoon and said, "Come closer."
Shi Qian stood up and just as she approached Chu Qi, she was hugged tightly.
The soft and fragrant body fell into his arms, and the latter's eyes deepened. He touched the girl's earlobe and whispered:
"Is someone gossiping about you? Don't hold back on any grievances you have. I will help you vent your anger."
Feeling her lover's warm body temperature and listening to his gentle words, Shi Qian's emotions that she had tried her best to hold back burst out, and tears flowed one by one. Even though her appearance was not beautiful, her crying was very distressing. "The maid who served me said that when you become the emperor, you will take in many concubines. I am no longer special. I..."
She took a deep breath, but still couldn't hold back her tears. Some of them fell on the back of Chu Qi's hand. The warm tears were inexplicably burning.
In fact, Shi Qiang knew very well that when the little eunuch became the king of a country, there would be more and more women around him. Because she knew this clearly, she understood that the maid was right, so she became even more sad.
But which man doesn’t have three wives and four concubines at this time?
What's more, for an emperor, having three thousand beauties in his harem is the norm.
Chu Qi curled her fingers. Shi Qiang's tears fell on the back of her hand, but it seemed to fall into her heart. Her heart felt sour. She took out the handkerchief from Shi Qiang's pocket and wiped her tears:
"After all, the maidservant was found in a short time and she doesn't know how to serve others. Let Hongyi find a new batch tomorrow."
Hong Yi is a minister under Chu Qi, who was found among the common people. He used to work for high-ranking officials, so he is quite handy to use.
But usually he is only responsible for following his work and is also responsible for the internal affairs of the mansion.
After wiping away Shi Qiang's tears, Chu Qi handed her a spoonful of chicken soup:
"Don't cry, I promise that I will only marry you and no one else."
Shi Qian swallowed it in a daze, without even tasting the flavor. Her mind was full of Chu Qi's words "I will only marry you", and she suspected that she was hallucinating.
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