The dragon was very happy!
The New Year gift sent by Gu Jiu obviously pleased the emperor and the empress.
On New Year's Eve, Liu Zhao was not at home, so Gu Jiu entered the palace alone with her four children.
Empress Pei rarely smiled, and she took Gu Jiu's hand and said a lot of encouraging words.
He also praised the children for being sensible and polite, and praised Gu Jiu for teaching the children well, which relieved Liu Zhao of his worries.
Finally, a mention of a carriage.
"I received the gift you sent me. You are so thoughtful."
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "It's just a small token of my appreciation. I hope Mother doesn't mind."
"I don't mind, I don't mind."
The super super super supreme luxury four-wheeled carriage is widened, taller and longer. Each decoration has a distinct unique style, but it is equally luxurious and makes people happy when they see it.
Absolutely in the entire capital and the entire world, only the emperor and the empress own a four-wheeled carriage of this level.
Empress Pei's vanity was greatly satisfied the moment she received the four-wheeled carriage.
Looking at the envious, jealous and hateful faces of the concubines in the harem, Empress Pei couldn't help feeling proud.
In terms of appearance, luxury, and thoughtfulness, who can compare with the four-wheeled carriage given by Gu Jiu?
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "It's just a small token of my appreciation. As long as my mother likes it, I will be satisfied."
Empress Pei was happy and rewarded the children with many good things.
When the palace banquet came, Emperor Wende rewarded Gu Jiu with wine and food.
While expressing his gratitude, Gu Jiu secretly complained that Emperor Wende was stingy.
Empress Pei rewarded the children with many valuable gifts, but Emperor Wende was so stingy that he didn't even give a penny.
He sent her away with just some food and wine.
Emperor Wende not only rewarded him with wine and food, he was also thinking about Liu Zhao who was far away in the northwest.
"I know that my lord is loyal to his country. When he returns, I will personally welcome him back."
As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of the princes changed.
What does father mean?
Are you going to make the eldest brother the crown prince?
The princes were absent-minded and had no interest in enjoying the palace banquet.
Emperor Wende pretended not to see it.
That's how he got through it back then.
He knew exactly what his sons were thinking.
Although Liu Zhao was not in the capital, Emperor Wende did not hesitate to praise him.
Whether it's sincere or fake, it doesn't really matter.
More importantly, this is a competition of endurance, a test of the human heart.
It depends on who loses patience first.
Gu Jiu picked up some food for Yu Ge'er and quietly reminded him, "Don't take what your royal grandfather said seriously. Just listen to it."
Yu Ge'er hummed, "Son knows. Several uncles are secretly looking at mother."
Gu Jiu chuckled, "Don't worry about them. No matter who comes to test you, just play dumb and don't respond. Just put the blame on your mother."
"Son, remember this. Brother Zheng is waving at me. He wants me to go out and set off fireworks. Is that okay?"
Gu Jiu shook his head. "No fireworks allowed in the palace. Be careful with candles. Tell Liu Zheng that if he wants, he can set off fireworks in our house. The Li family can play in the courtyard garden as they please, just don't set the house on fire."
Yu Ge'er grinned happily, "Thank you, mother! I'll ask him secretly later, he will definitely agree."
"It's not enough just for him to be willing. We also need to seek the opinions of your fourth uncle and fourth aunt."
Yu Ge'er nodded in agreement.
Gu Jiu asked curiously, "Besides studying in the palace, does Liu Zheng have any other hobbies?"
Yu Ge'er thought for a moment before saying, "Although Brother Zheng doesn't like reading, he particularly enjoys reading the novels about revenge and vengeance published by Wenqing Bookstore. He also enjoys wielding spears and clubs. In a serious fight, my son wouldn't last more than twenty moves against him."
"Surprisingly, he's so powerful. He seems to be a good military commander."
Yu Ge'er was curious, "Can the grandson of the emperor of this dynasty be a military commander? I have searched through the court laws and the ancestral family rules, and no one, whether a prince or a grandson of the emperor, can be a general."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Family rules are fixed, but people are alive. Your father is currently leading troops in battle in the northwest, and has already broken the rule that princes are not allowed to interfere in military affairs."
Yu Ge'er seemed to be thinking about something.
Gu Jiu immediately assigned Yu Ge'er an assignment, "Write an essay on the laws of the imperial court and the family rules of the Liu family. Heng Ge'er should also write one."
Brother Heng, who was happily eating and drinking, looked confused.
There was still beef in his mouth, and the corners of his mouth were covered with grease. He looked as if he had lost all hope in life.
It's clearly the eldest brother's fault, why should he take the blame?
Oh, oh, oh!
"Mother, my son is still young." Heng Ge'er said pitifully.
He is so young, how could his mother bear to let him write his thoughts on legal family rules.
He hasn't even finished reading the legal system, and writing down his thoughts makes me want to die!
Gu Jiu reached out and pinched Heng'er's chubby cheeks through Yu'er. "Have you been cheating again recently? Why does your face look rounder?"
Heng Ge'er said nonsense in a serious tone, "My son has been studying too hard recently and is growing, so he gets hungry easily. That's why he ate a little more."
Brother Xun chuckled secretly.
Not saying a word is worth a thousand words.
Brother Hen'er's round face is indeed very convincing.
The two brothers must have eaten together.
Brother Heng is so sad, what kind of brothers are they!
Brother Xun looks silly, but he is just pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger, and he is even more clever than Niu Niu.
Niu Niu looks powerful, but actually she is just a silly girl.
Niu Niu is unhappy.
She is very smart and the teacher praises her intelligence.
She writes better than Ge'er and can recite faster. Why do you say she is not as good as Ge'er?
Brother Xun is just a lazy boy who only knows how to eat.
Brother Xun smiled foolishly and continued eating!
You guys can have your own arguments, and I'll just be a spectator.
The three siblings all stared at the youngest, Brother Hen, and stretched out their claws to pinch Brother Hen's cheeks.
Brother Xun felt very aggrieved. He didn't cry, but there were tears in his eyes.
With his eyes wide open, he looks so innocent and pitiful.
Gu Jiu's heart softened as he saw this and he quickly hugged Brother Xun in his arms.
Heng Ge'er wiped the corner of his mouth and said, "Mother, I am very sad too. I want a hug."
Gu Jiu reached out and poked Heng Ge'er's forehead, "Remember to write down your experience."
Heng Ge'er was so sad that he wanted to cry but had no tears. As expected, as he grew up, his salary dropped sharply.
So sad!
He said pitifully, "Could you please change the subject? My son has never read the law, and he is not familiar with the family rules."
Gu Jiu laughed. "Because you are not familiar with it, you should write down your experience. When Yu Ge'er was your age, he had twice as much homework as you."
Yu Ge'er nodded repeatedly: "Brother, just accept your fate. Don't resist!"
Memorize the laws, memorize the family rules, memorize them all.
You deserve the law and family rules.
Heng'er opened his mouth wide, wanting to cry. He immediately lost his appetite.
Anyway, he was already 90% full, so he didn't feel hungry even though he had no appetite.
Gu Jiu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, but did not change his decision.
Heng Ge'er must learn to take responsibility and learn to take on responsibilities.
…
The time came to the eleventh year of Wende.
At the beginning of the new year, war reports came from the front line.
The three parties fought several small-scale battles, each with its own victories and defeats.
At present, it is mainly a scouting war, fighting for information and logistical supplies.
However, this situation will not last long.
The major battle will most likely take place in late spring or early summer.
From the northeast to the northwest, the entire border defense is actively preparing for war.
The Beijing troops set out to the front line in batches.
Supplies were sent to the front line continuously along with the troops.
The war is about to break out.
The Ministry of War placed another order for 5,000 taels of special four-wheeled carriages.
They transported supplies on the way there and were responsible for transporting the wounded on the way back.
Even in small-scale wars, there are still many casualties.
The Grand Marshal's Office and Sanhe Express jointly built several fortresses on the grassland, which played a huge role.
Not only did it reserve a large amount of supplies for large-scale field battles, but it also blocked the timely communication between Xiliang and Beirong.
As a result, Xiliang and Beirong had to spend more time on contact and communication.
The dangers faced by messengers on the road also increased greatly.
The fortress built under the supervision of the Grand Marshal's Office was not built just for appearance, but to strike a powerful blow against the grassland tribes.
In the border areas, we fortified our defenses and cleared the fields to prevent Beirong and Xiliang from obtaining supplies through looting.
A large number of border refugees poured into the capital.
The number of people in the refugee camp in the north of the city exceeded 200,000 just after the first month of the lunar year.
On the official road, there was a steady stream of refugees pouring in.
I believe that it won’t be long before the number of refugees will exceed 300,000, 400,000, or even 500,000.
Gu Jiu handed the new budget to the Ministry of Revenue and asked it to make up for last year's arrears.
The Ministry of Revenue owed the refugee camp hundreds of thousands of kilograms of grain and nearly 100,000 taels of relief funds.
The Ministry of Revenue must not try to get away with the debt.
Looking at the budget report and the debt collection notice, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue were all as big as bulls.
The Minister of Revenue, Lord Zhao, was tired.
He is old and his beard is white.
I worry about money and food every day.
No matter how much money you have, you can spend it all.
The tax revenue from the Ministry of Revenue is always insufficient.
Every time there is a tax increase, we don’t enjoy it for more than a few days before new expenditure items appear, and they are items that have to be spent.
The Minister of Revenue wanted to curse "MMP" countless times.
The other departments are like vampires, sucking blood from the Ministry of Households all day long.
Whenever the Ministry of Revenue had any surplus grain, they would take it all away.
He rubbed his brows and said to his subordinates, "Reply to Madam Zhao, the Ministry of Revenue is currently unable to provide money and food. The battle is going on at the front lines, and every penny and every grain in the Ministry of Revenue's warehouse has been sent to the Northwest Grand Military Governor's Office. When the autumn harvest comes and the Ministry of Revenue has income, the money and food will be replenished. If Madam Zhao can't wait, why not ask the Minister of the Interior? The Minister of the Interior should shoulder the responsibility of assisting the refugees."
The subordinate asked, "Sir, is this an appropriate response?"
"There's nothing inappropriate about it. Just reply to Madam Zhao according to what I said. Now is the time to make the Shaofu bleed."
The subordinate took the order and left.
Gu Jiu couldn't help sneering when he received the reply from the Minister of Revenue.
"You guys at the Ministry of Revenue are almost deadbeats. All the things we agreed upon back then are going to go away, right?"
"Madam, you misunderstood. The Ministry of Revenue simply can't provide the money and grain!"
Gu Jiu blew on the tea and took a sip. "The Minister asked me to ask the Minister of the Household for money. It seems that since he can't afford the money himself, he wants me to fight for him."
"My master definitely didn't mean that. He was just worried about the hundreds of thousands of refugees outside the city."
Gu Jiu sneered and said, "Don't waste your time on this high-sounding nonsense. Tell your Lord Shangshu to find a way to revoke the prohibition on alcohol, and I will never bother him again."
Huh?
The Ministry of Revenue official was surprised. "The prohibition is only in name only. Why is Madam still asking for its revocation?"
"Just because a law exists in name only doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I'm a law-abiding person. Please convey my request to the Minister, and he will understand."
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