The two things that Liu Heng was most worried about were solved, and he was in a very good mood.
He promised Mr. Li that he would hold the wedding in the capital a year later, as long as Li Zhi had no objection.
He hurried to the palace, and his brother Liu Xun told him, "The Queen Mother is choosing a wedding date for you."
When Liu Heng heard this, he quickly stopped him.
"Mother, I forgot to tell you something. I plan to settle down overseas, and I'm worried Miss Li won't be able to adapt to the climate and food there. So, I've decided to have her live in Lingnan for a while. We'll hold the wedding this time next year."
Gu Jiu put down the almanac and said, "We're getting married next year, are you sure?"
"I have already discussed this with the Li family and have come to inform you, mother."
Gu Jiu teased, "Now you have all learned to act first and ask for permission later."
"Please punish me, mother!"
"Why punish you? You're already an adult, so you should make your own decisions. You arranged for Miss Li to live in Lingnan and postponed the wedding until next year. Are you trying to use this time to get Miss Li to seriously consider this marriage?"
"My son wants to give Miss Li a chance to choose! Life overseas is too hard. A girl who has lived in the capital for a long time and has been raised in luxury cannot imagine how hard it is overseas. I don't want to embarrass her, so I decided to postpone the wedding to give her a chance to calm down and think carefully about whether it is worth it to follow me overseas."
Gu Jiu understood, "Then do you know that your private decision to postpone the wedding will make your father very unhappy?"
"Please, mother, say a few good words for me in front of my father." Liu Heng bowed and made a request.
Gu Jiu laughed. "I will explain to your father. Also, I want to hear your thoughts. Ruyang said he wants to settle down overseas, and you also said you want to settle down overseas. Have you two siblings discussed this? Tell me, why do you want to settle down overseas?"
"Son, tell me directly?"
"Of course I'll tell you straight. Are you trying to play tricks on me?"
Liu Heng chuckled, pondered for a moment, and then spoke cautiously, "To be honest, Queen Mother, I don't want to be an idle prince. I want to establish vassal states and carve out territory to be crowned king. I, too, have ambitions and aspirations, but if I stay in the capital, I'll inevitably clash with my elder brother. I don't want to ruin our friendship. There's so much potential overseas, and I'm willing to build a foundation for future generations and expand the territory of the Great Zhou!"
"I can tell you're telling the truth. Do you really want to be a local lord?"
"Yes!" Liu Heng nodded heavily.
Gu Jiu asked again: "Tell me first, who is Ruyang's favorite?"
Routines, all routines!
Liu Heng looked confused, "It's hard to say, son."
"Is it because Ruyang won't let you say it, or is it because the person Ruyang likes is ugly and ashamed to see others?"
"He's not ugly, he's quite handsome. But I'm worried that Father and Mother might have concerns about his status."
"Let me guess. Could he be the son of a merchant who has gone overseas to acquire property? Or perhaps a young general in an overseas camp?"
"He is indeed a young general!"
Liu Heng said weakly.
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows and smiled, "I understand."
Liu Heng was surprised, "Did the Queen Mother guess who it was?"
"It's not hard to guess!" Gu Jiu was very sure, she already had a definite answer in her heart.
The identity of this person is obvious as he can make Liu Heng say something that is quite sensitive.
If Ruyang married this young general, it would indeed be a big problem in terms of identity.
The layout of overseas camps also needs to be adjusted appropriately.
We cannot allow the man’s family to take advantage of the situation and rise to dominance overseas. This is not conducive to overseas expansion!
This also goes against Gu Jiu's original plan.
Liu Heng was a little uneasy. "I hope the Queen Mother won't blame Ruyang! It's really not easy for Ruyang to take a fancy to someone like him. This person also helped Ruyang train his army, helped suppress rebellions and civil unrest, and even blocked several hidden arrows for Ruyang."
Gu Jiu laughed, "Why don't you just say he's the eldest son of General Chen Zhuangshi!"
Liu Heng chuckled, "As expected, nothing can be hidden from my mother."
Gu Jiu waved his hand and thought for a moment, "What exactly is Ruyang planning? Does she also want to be among the princes?"
"She now controls thirteen cities with a population of four to five hundred thousand. She already possesses the power of a regional lord. To be honest with my mother, Ruyang truly aspires to be among the lords!"
"You brothers and sisters are both very ambitious." Gu Jiu teased.
Liu Heng asked cautiously, "Does the Queen Mother agree?"
Gu Jiu tapped the table lightly. "Deep down in my heart, I want you all to stay in the capital. However, I also know that this is the stupidest thing to do. If you want to fly, I will never restrict you. In terms of overseas layout, I even support you in establishing vassal states, becoming an overseas hegemon, and passing it down from generation to generation."
However, everything must be done in a legitimate way. If the name is not right, then the words will not flow. If you want to establish a vassal state, you must obtain the imperial court's approval and the consent of the court officials. This is not easy. Even if it is overseas territory, far away from the core area of the Great Zhou, when it comes to fighting, the court officials will never be polite. This is a struggle for interests and power. Are you ready?
"Please teach me, mother!"
Gu Jiu pointed out: "Opening up the feudal states is actually imitating the ancient times. The configuration of the feudal states is like a small imperial court. From officials to military commanders to the army to the establishment of counties, there is a complete set of procedures. The court officials will not let you do whatever you want. The court officials will definitely interfere with the arrangement of officials in the feudal states. Whether you agree or not, you cannot stop the court officials' determination.
You have over twenty cities under your jurisdiction, which means you have over twenty county magistrates. You can set up two to four prefectures, which means you need two to four prefectural governors and county lieutenants. The royal palace also needs to set up a complete small court with six ministries and a prime minister. Do you understand what this means?
This means there are too many places to interfere. The three provinces and six ministries, the Censorate, the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Revenue... every government office will try to interfere in the development of the vassal states. Even if the vassal states are thousands of miles away from the capital, they cannot stop the court officials from pursuing power.
Liu Heng frowned, "My son doesn't need so many officials, and we can't afford to support so many officials at the moment. One official has to support at least a dozen people, which is a huge burden."
"So I'm asking you, are you sure you want to open the feudal lords?"
"Confirmed! Not only the princes, but all officials will be dismissed by me."
"Then you will have no choice but to postpone the opening of the feudal lords' empire. Wait until you are more mature before bringing up this matter."
Liu Heng frowned.
Gu Jiu continued, "There are advantages to establishing a vassal state. Everything is legitimate and you can also gain the support of the court. There are also advantages to not establishing a vassal state. You have the final say in everything and can do whatever you want. But in this way, you will always be a self-taught person and will not be recognized, so you will not be able to recruit talents.
Talent needs opportunities, and even more importantly, they need a legitimate reason. By establishing the feudal system, you can legitimately recruit talent and attract some scholars to go overseas. You can even transfer officials from the three provinces and six ministries to assist you overseas. You must weigh the pros and cons yourself, and I will not interfere. Once you make your decision, I and your father will support you."
"Will the emperor support his son?" Liu Heng was a little surprised.
Gu Jiu said with certainty: "Of course! Without your father's support, do you think you and your sister could have had smooth sailing overseas all these years? Without your father's permission, how could the Overseas Camp support you unconditionally? Don't you think that every time the Overseas Camp sends troops, it fights for silver. Most of this silver is paid by the Shaofu."
"The Shaofu has also made a lot of money overseas. A private miner discovered gold overseas, and the Shaofu also invested in it, endorsing the private miner and acting as a backer. The income from the two gold mines alone is enough to cover the expenses of the overseas camp, and there may even be a small surplus."
Liu Heng made no secret of his envy, jealousy and hatred towards the Shaofu.
The Shaofu easily became very successful overseas. The Shaofu's presence could be seen in any city overseas.
Shaofu Money House has also been opened overseas.
So far, four overseas branch banks have been established.
So awesome.
According to Liu Heng's idea, Shaofu was the biggest winner of the overseas development plan.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Of course you have to make money to fight a war! The Shaofu is the money bag of the overseas camp."
Liu Heng wanted to say that he also wanted such a purse.
He took advantage of the situation and said pitifully, "My son lacks business talent. It's a shame that he has so many resources but can't exchange them for high profits!"
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "You have to solve this matter yourself. If you can poach the people under my name, it's your ability, and I will not stop you. But I suggest you don't think about targeting Sihai Huanyu. It's very likely that you won't be able to poach them. I have a suggestion for you. You can go to the Zhu family. The Zhu family will definitely be willing to cooperate with you."
"The Zhu family?" Liu Heng was a little confused and couldn't remember which Zhu family it was for a moment.
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "Do you remember the Zhu family, the former richest family in the capital, the Cheng En Marquis's Mansion?"
Liu Heng suddenly realized.
Gu Jiu pointed out, "The Zhu family has been engaged in business for generations, and the talent for business runs in their descendants' blood. They also have a keen sense of smell and are willing to cooperate with royal relatives, and are not afraid of the difficulties of the business road. Others are afraid of overseas travel, but the Zhu family is not. The Zhu family will be happy to have the opportunity to cooperate with you. As long as you are willing to give them a chance, the Zhu family will give you a surprise. Most importantly, the Zhu family is trustworthy. Of course, this is also due to my good training. The Zhu family always adheres to the bottom line and dares not cross the line."
The Zhu family is equivalent to Gu Jiu's external thugs.
When Sihai, Huanyu and Shaofu are not convenient to show up, it is the opportunity for the Zhu family to make its presence felt.
Gu Jiu never concealed his strategy of both beating and pulling the Zhu family.
The Zhu family also enjoyed it.
It's like getting on the Queen's boat. Although there are many restrictions, there are also many benefits.
Liu Heng didn't know how to do business, but he knew how to manage talents.
"Thank you for your advice, Mother! I'll find an opportunity to contact the Zhu family."
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