"Your Majesty, calm down!"
Qian Fu was a little nervous.
The Empress rarely vented her anger on others, nor would she punish him with a beating, but he would get nervous. How strange!
Gu Jiu took a few deep breaths and finally calmed down the anger in his heart.
She asked, "What's the situation in Xiliang now? Tell me in detail."
Qian Fu bowed and said, "King Anxi's massacre of the Xiliang royal family sparked hatred among the people of Xiliang, and war broke out everywhere. The Northwest Army is limited in numbers and can only control the Xiliang Royal City. Beyond the Royal City, they are out of reach. Even the trade routes to the Western Regions have been cut off."
After a while, King Anxi likely felt the pressure and adopted the advice of Master Wuwang and his advisors, bribing the Xiliang nobles to govern the people. Furthermore, King Anxi implemented a series of measures that benefited the people of Xiliang and executed a number of rebels, and the situation gradually eased.
Gu Jiu breathed a sigh of relief. "The situation has stabilized, so this first step can barely be considered a success. Has Prince Anxi accepted my suggestion to open a school and encourage intermarriage?"
Qian Fu nodded. "Before I left Xiliang, the royal city of Xiliang had already opened two free elementary schools, mainly teaching the culture of the Great Zhou. The generals in the army took the lead and intermarried with the Xiliang nobles. The ordinary soldiers below were less likely to intermarry, so the situation is not very optimistic."
Gu Jiu nodded. "Everything is difficult at the beginning. The fact that Prince Anxi is willing to accept my advice at least proves that he is not demented and knows that now is not the time to enjoy the fruits of war. What's the situation with Wuwang and Taoist Xuanqing?"
Qian Fu bowed slightly. "Because Xiliang Royal City was destroyed and the Xiliang royal family was massacred, Master Wuwang's reputation in the local area has declined. Later, Taoist Xuanqing arrived in Xiliang, and the two of them met privately for three days and three nights. I don't know exactly what they talked about. After the conversation, Master Wuwang began to give lectures in Xiliang Royal City every five days, and the public gathered. Over the past six months, Master Wuwang's reputation has been rising day by day, almost catching up with his reputation as Xiliang's Imperial Master."
Gu Jiu finally laughed, "Wuwang has lived up to my expectations. What did Xuanqing do?"
"Master Xuanqing led his men to build two Taoist temples in Xiliang King City, and his disciples also give lectures every day. Master Xuanqing himself is organizing Xiliang's written books. Before returning to the capital, he found me and asked me to bring a message to the Queen."
"explain!"
"Master Xuanqing said he wanted to trace the roots and find the ancestors of the Xiliang people. Regardless of the process, the outcome has already been determined. The Xiliang people and the Great Zhou share the same ancestor, separated only by war, climate, geography, and other factors. Now, it's time for Xiliang to return to the great family of the Great Zhou."
"Hahaha……"
Gu Jiu laughed out loud with joy.
"I was not wrong about Taoist Xuanqing. With him, the overall situation in Xiliang will be stable. Those rebellious villains are nothing but grasshoppers after autumn."
"Your Majesty has a far-sighted vision, which earns everyone's admiration."
"Stop flattering me. Did King Anxi ask you to deliver a message?" Gu Jiu was a little curious.
She and King Anxi had never met, but they had fought several times for a period of ten to twenty years.
Perhaps the biggest regret in her life was that she never had the chance to meet King Anxi.
Qian Fu said, "Your Majesty, the King of Anxi is old!"
"How can a 70-year-old man not age? How is his health? How many years can he last?"
"Prince Anxi is still strong and healthy, but he has tried to delegate power, leaving many matters to Pei Meng. In addition, Prince Anxi has appointed Pei Meng as the Crown Prince. I have already submitted the memorial to His Majesty regarding the appointment of the Crown Prince."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "It seems that he has no intention of falling out with the court for the time being."
Whether the Prince of Anxi wrote a petition to establish a crown prince or not was actually irrelevant, because he could make the final decision on all matters concerning Xiliang.
The memorial is just a formality.
It was just a formality, but King Anxi was willing to take the trouble to do it and even let Qian Fu bring it back to the capital from afar.
It is obvious that King Anxi was expressing his determination in this way.
Even if he was granted land and crowned a king, he would still be a subject of the Great Zhou in name. He would manage Xiliang with all his heart and would not turn against the imperial court.
The caravans of the Great Zhou could freely go to Xiliang to do business, and they only had to pay a set of expensive customs duties.
The trade route to the Western Regions has been opened, and caravans can travel to various countries in the Western Regions with confidence.
Likewise, you will need to pay an expensive customs duty.
Qian Fu told Gu Jiu, "The King of Anxi relies on the customs duties collected from the Great Zhou caravans to feed his army. He is now eager to have more and larger caravans go to Xiliang. If the Xiliang market is not enough, he will open up trade routes to the Western Regions."
Prince Anxi told this old slave that he wasn't as good at business as the Empress, but he was a good student. He had learned from her that one shouldn't have a monopoly on business. The tariffs collected from opening trade routes to the Western Regions far exceeded the profits they could earn by organizing their own caravans to trade there.
Gu Jiu laughed, "He's quite modest, even comparing himself to a student. I wouldn't dare accept a student like him. According to you, Xiliang's trade is booming now?"
Qian Fu nodded. "Barely so. Our Great Zhou caravan brought a lot of supplies that the local people needed and could afford. For example, low-grade tea, linen, medicinal materials, paper, and so on... King Anxi clearly wanted to establish a presence in Xiliang. He accepted the advice of his advisors and reduced taxes and labor service for the people of Xiliang. Once this measure was implemented, the situation quickly improved significantly."
Gu Jiu picked up his pen and summarized what Qian Fu said and wrote it all down.
"People's livelihood and the economy have been improved. What remains is education, religion, the military, and intermarriage and integration. I wonder how many more years King Anxi can live."
Qian Fu whispered, "Last year, the King of Anxi took a twenty-year-old concubine. When I left Xiliang, I heard that the concubine was pregnant."
puff!
This indirectly proves that King Anxi is still strong and in good health.
If nothing unexpected happens, living another ten or eight years will be no problem.
Gu Jiu coughed lightly twice. "I'm relieved that Prince Anxi is in good health! Given the current situation in Xiliang, Prince Anxi must hold on for another three to five years before he can completely let go and hand Xiliang over to Pei Meng. I wonder if Pei Meng can shoulder this heavy responsibility."
Qian Fu hesitated to speak.
Gu Jiu tapped the table lightly. "Just say whatever you want to say. Don't worry about it."
"It's like this. During my time in Xiliang, I interacted with Pei Meng many times. I discovered that I had underestimated him before. Not only is he an expert at leading troops in battle, he also has unique skills in managing civil affairs."
Gu Jiu snorted coldly, "I've long seen that Pei Meng is dishonest. He uses his rude appearance and behavior to deceive others, making them mistakenly think he's a rough and tumble man who only knows how to fight, and thus they are less wary of him. In fact, he is a treacherous and cunning old fox. At the beginning, I almost misjudged him. It's great that you can see his true face."
"Before I went to Xiliang, I had been following Pei Meng for many years. I was deceived by him. This is really wrong. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"
"It's not your fault. You're not the only one who's been deceived by Pei Meng. His Majesty was also deceived by Pei Meng."
Liu Zhao and Pei Meng were cousins, and they had known each other for a long time. For all these years, Liu Zhao hadn't been able to see through Pei Meng's true colors. It could only be said that Pei Meng's appearance was too deceptive, and Liu Zhao's judgment of people was indeed poor.
Qian Fu lowered his head and dared not answer.
The Empress complained to the Emperor, saying that he only hated that his presence was too strong and there was no hole for him to hide in.
Gu Jiu bent his fingers and tapped the table lightly.
"Once Pei Meng takes control of the situation in Xiliang, Xiliang will definitely be transformed. Have you arranged for spies to lurk around Pei Meng?"
Qian Fu shook his head. "It's very difficult! Pei Meng is very defensive. The people around him are all veterans who have been with him for more than ten or twenty years. Most of the new people he hires are related to the veterans, and they know each of them well. It's difficult for our people to gain his trust. On the other hand, spies have successfully infiltrated the inner circle of Prince Anxi and can learn some confidential information. Given time, they may even be able to speak to Prince Anxi and influence his decision."
Gu Jiu thought for a moment and said, "If spies are not effective, then we can try bribery instead. I will allocate this money to you separately."
"Who does the Queen want to bribe?"
Gu Jiu laughed, "Of course it's our old friend Mr. Dou."
Qian Fu frowned. "Mr. Dou is an advisor to the King of Anxi, and he's trusted and valued by Pei Meng. Wealth, status, and women—Mr. Dou has it all. He's not easy to bribe!"
"You don't understand the mind of a scholar!" Gu Jiu said with a smile, "The pursuits of a scholar are ultimately different from those of the Pei family. After people have everything material, they will have higher-level needs, that is, spiritual needs. In simple terms, what Mr. Dou wants now is fame, fame in the Great Zhou. This fame can only be given by me and His Majesty, not by the Pei family father and son."
Qian Fu suddenly realized, "Your Majesty, this is a brilliant idea!"
Gu Jiu instructed, "Find a way to get a message to Mr. Dou. I'll give him what he wants. Wenqing Bookstore will build momentum for him throughout the world, making him a great scholar and strategist on par with Sanyuan Gong and Zhou Shi'an, whose name will be passed down through the ages. He knows exactly what to do."
Qian Fu pondered for a moment and said, "How about I go to the Western Regions again? It would be more reliable to discuss this matter face to face."
Gu Jiu waved his hand in denial, "No need for a face-to-face discussion. Do you have any trustworthy and capable spies in Xiliang?"
Qian Fu nodded, "Yes!"
"Let this spy contact Mr. Dou on your behalf."
"I obey your command!"
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