"His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin is extremely brave and may not be willing to proceed step by step."
Lord Lu was always worried about Liu Zhao.
Anyone in power hopes that all political reforms can produce immediate results.
Immediate results mean drastic changes.
However, the common people and the Zhou Dynasty could not withstand drastic changes.
If you move too much, be careful not to capsize.
We can only make changes step by step and silently.
In this case, it will take several years or even more than ten years to see the results.
Do those in power have the patience?
Lord Lu was very suspicious.
The Liu royal family doesn't have much patience.
Gu Jiu smiled. "Your Excellency was first worried about Liu Zhao's conservatism and stubbornness, and now you're worried about his impatience. Why is it that Liu Zhao always seems so extreme in your eyes?"
Lord Lu said, "Princess, this is a question you shouldn't ask me. You should ask His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin. His words and actions give the impression that he tends to go to extremes. Compared to Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin has a more gloomy personality. A person's personality affects how they handle things, and His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin is not someone you can trust."
Gu Jiu shook his head repeatedly. "This is typical prejudice. Let's not talk about military affairs. Just look at Liu Zhao's years of experience at court, including when the late emperor was still alive. Has he ever been aggressive or brave? When he was working at the Ministry of War, he followed the laws of the court. After leaving the Ministry of War and joining the Secretariat, he never caused any trouble for anyone. Your Excellency shouldn't look at Liu Zhao with prejudice."
Lord Lu disagreed with Gu Jiu's words. He denied it, "In my opinion, the fact that His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin follows the laws of the court is entirely due to the Princess. It's clear that the Princess is able to control His Royal Highness's emotions very well."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows and smiled, "I'm glad that Your Excellency recognizes my efforts over the years. I was able to help Liu Zhao control his emotions before, and I can do the same in the future."
"What if? What if something unexpected happens..."
"Even if something unexpected happens," Gu Jiu interrupted Lord Lu, "Liu Zhao, who has a bad temper, has a better overall perspective than other princes. He knows what to do and what not to do."
Lord Lu shook his head repeatedly.
Gu Jiu refilled the teacup with tea and said, "Your Excellency is simply worrying about nothing."
"I have to worry about nothing."
Gu Jiu smiled faintly, "After so many years of hard work, this princess has established these foundations. To be honest with you, my lord, I will not allow anyone to destroy the current good situation, not even Liu Zhao."
If Liu Zhao dares to act recklessly, she has a hundred and eight ways to deal with him.
Lord Lu was stunned on the spot.
Gu Jiu smiled at him with pursed lips, looking gentle and harmless.
Lord Lu was surprised. How could Gu Jiu say such ambitious words in such a gentle tone?
He probed, "So, all matters, big or small, in the Qin Palace are decided by the princess."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "I'll make the decisions on small matters, and Liu Zhao will make the decisions on big matters. But no big events have happened in our family for many years."
Upon hearing this, Lord Lu felt sad for Liu Zhao.
Liu Zhao, the prince and Prince of Qin, is actually henpecked.
No wonder he hasn’t had a concubine for many years.
Lord Lu wiped his face and shed tears of sympathy for Liu Zhao.
"Your Excellency, there's no need to worry about things that haven't happened. It's better to think positively."
"I also want to be as optimistic as possible, but the reality is that the court is plagued by internal and external troubles. If it weren't for the support of the Shaofu, the court would have long been unable to make ends meet and would have been forced to impose additional taxes and corvee labor."
"The current situation is more than ten times better than that of previous dynasties. Your Excellency has made great contributions."
Lord Lu waved his hands repeatedly. "I know my own limitations. Although I despise Li Bingming's despicable behavior, the court's current situation is thanks to the foundation laid by Li Bingming's years of hard work."
Gu Jiu nodded with a smile.
Lord Lu is indeed a gentleman of integrity and he did not deny Lord Li's contribution.
"This princess intends to plant sweet potatoes at the frontier. Does that make you feel better?"
Lord Lu had a look of astonishment on his face. "Princess, are you sure you want to plant sweet potatoes at the border? Aren't you afraid of losing money?"
"It's not a big deal. I wonder if you've ever been to the Northwest?"
Lord Lu shook his head. He had never been to the Northwest.
Gu Jiu said, "I've lived in Jinzhou in the northwest for many years, so I have some understanding of the local area. Many people along the border make a living by herding. Because of the unrest on the border, herders dare not go deep into the grasslands to graze, and can only graze near the border for many years. Due to overgrazing, the pastures along the border have basically become sandy. On windy days, dust flies up, covering the sky and the sun.
These sandy pastures cannot grow millet, rice, or wheat. The only thing that can be grown is sweet potatoes. The border is vast, with tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of hectares of land waiting to be reclaimed. This princess intends to build the largest sweet potato winery in the Great Zhou. Is your Excellency interested in participating?
Lord Lu felt a little dizzy. He rubbed his brow and said, "There's a war going on at the border right now."
"I know."
"Where will Madam find someone to cultivate the land and plant sweet potatoes?"
"Those prisoners of war are ready-made labor. The army gives me a prisoner of war, and the prisoner's wages are 50% off the market price, and all of it belongs to the army. I think the Northwest Military Governor's Office, the Northwest Army, and all the border troops would be happy to do this business. Saving food and making money at the same time, why not?"
Lord Lu shook his head repeatedly, "The princess's idea is truly too crazy and bold."
"If it's not a little crazy, where is the cement road, where is Xinmin County, where is Sanhe Express, where is the four-wheeled carriage?"
Lord Lu smiled knowingly, "So the princess asked the Minister of Revenue to revoke the prohibition on alcohol first?"
Gu Jiu admitted generously, "The alcohol prohibition is like a tight ring. You never know when someone will take advantage of it. It's better to just revoke it."
Lord Lu sighed, "The princess's plan is far-reaching, and I am humbled by her."
Gu Jiu was humble for once, "Excuse me, sir. I am just an ordinary person who only cares about making money."
Once you have a large amount of sweet potato wine, you can consider making distilled liquor.
Sweet potatoes are not the staple food, so in peaceful times, there is no need to worry about food problems for the people.
Lord Lu sighed. He seemed unable to oppose Gu Jiu. The other party always had a way to persuade him.
He asked, "What does the princess need me to do?"
Gu Jiu said solemnly: "When necessary, please firmly support Liu Zhao. He is worthy of your expectations."
"I would rather look forward to Master Yu."
Gu Jiu shook his head repeatedly, "Brother Yu is too young and has too little experience to be able to take on big responsibilities."
Lord Lu laughed, "The princess has kidnapped Ren Qiu and now she's kidnapped Zhou Shi'an. What else can I do?"
"Your Excellency, your words are truly too serious. I didn't kidnap them, nor do I have the ability to kidnap them. I simply offered them an opportunity, a choice. Obviously, the opportunity I offered them is more to their liking."
"The princess kidnapped my man with her eloquence!" Lord Lu accused.
Is it easy to win over a talented person?
Is it easy to cultivate a talent?
Not easy!
As a result, the talented person he got was kidnapped along the way. How sad he must have been.
He clearly came to the other party to demand an explanation, but was persuaded by the other party and ended up running errands for him.
Does this count as asking for trouble?
Lord Lu has been an official for decades, and he has never felt as sad as he does today.
"Your Excellency's emotions are so rich and touching." Gu Jiu spoke without any pain in his waist while standing.
Lord Lu sighed repeatedly, "I'm leaving now!"
He couldn't stay here and listen to Gu Jiu's "nonsense", he was afraid that he would accidentally fall into the trap again.
"I'll see you out, sir."
"Princess, please stop. I will leave on my own. Since Zhou Shi'an has gone to Shanhe Academy, please treat his talent with kindness."
"Don't worry, sir. Mr. Zhou's talent will surely shine."
"I hope so! When Renqiu returns from his studies, he will still be mine. Princess, please don't snatch him from me."
"Mr. Ren is the treasure of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No one can take him away."
Lord Lu snorted twice, "Princess, please don't play word games in front of me."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "If you don't want to leave, why not have another cup of tea?"
"I'm full."
Lord Lu turned away without even looking back.
Gu Jiu laughed. It was not easy to make Lord Lu lose face.
Thinking back to when Zhou Shian was taken away by Lord Lu, she felt upset for several days.
…
Northwest Grand Marshal's Office.
Grand Commander Li Bingming took the letter sent from the capital and read it over and over again.
Yang Ji walked in with a military newspaper.
"Xiao Yang is here! This is a letter sent by the Princess of Qin. Xiao Yang, come and take a look."
Yang Ji put down the military newspaper, took the letter and read it word by word.
A moment later.
Lord Li asked, "Have you finished reading it? Tell me what you think?"
Yang Ji pondered and said, "Growing sweet potatoes at the border would be unthinkable if it were anyone else. But if it were the Princess of Qin, everything would be possible."
"You mean that I should keep all the captives and sell them to the Princess of Qin as laborers."
"This is a good idea. It saves food and brings in income."
Lord Li considered the feasibility of this matter. "There is a war at the border. Where do you think the Princess of Qin plans to plant sweet potatoes?"
Yang Ji took out the map, thought for a moment, and pointed to the northwest corner. "This area isn't a battleground, so there's almost no fighting. We can start from here."
"Is there a water source?"
"Yes. The snow on the mountain melts and there's water."
Lord Li nodded. "Write back to the Princess of Qin and tell her that this matter is open to negotiation. Have her send someone to negotiate with me. Also, send a letter to the Minister of the Interior, demanding that all weapons be replaced with fine iron within six months. I do not want to see weapons made of pig iron again. If the Minister of the Interior fails to replace the weapons on time, I will report this to the Minister of the Interior, and make Prince Consort Huang pay the price."
Then, Lord Li muttered again, "Huang Fu Ma has no flattery ability. He only had the opportunity to serve as the Minister of the Imperial Household because he gave birth to a good son. The Princess of Qin is also blind. She actually chose Huang Fu Ma as the Minister of the Imperial Household. It really delayed things."
Yang Ji whispered, "After all, there aren't many people that Princess Qin can trust. Prince Consort Huang is the most suitable candidate."
Lord Li was dissatisfied. "The Princess of Qin should have asked for my advice. She wants to find someone to take over the position of Shaofu Household Supervisor. I can recommend ten people to her, no, twenty people."
Yang Ji reminded quietly, "The position of Shaofu Household Order must be held by a member of the imperial clan or a relative by marriage."
Bang!
Lord Li kicked over the small stool.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
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