The two were discussing the affairs of the Dongyi people in the emperor's study.
Emperor: "When do you want to go to Dingzhou?"
Wang Yu glanced at the emperor after hearing this, but in his heart he didn't want to go. He asked, "How long will it take to build all the warships?"
Emperor: "The last time they sent me a letter, it took about two years, but..."
After a moment of contemplation, he continued, "I want you to go there soon and see for me the effectiveness of the warships to see if they are as described in the letter. Also, we need a legitimate reason to start a war in two years."
This was something he had been preparing for for a long time and was about to begin. Since he could not go to Dingzhou himself, he wanted Wang Yu to go and take a look first. After all, the previous emperor had attacked them twice during his reign, and they had not harassed the fishermen on the coast of Dali since then.
Before the founding of Dali, the people were living in poverty during the war. Neighboring countries often took advantage of the civil unrest to rob and kill people. The Dongyi people were the same. No one cared about them during the war, so they often came to rob and seize territory.
Later, when Dali was founded, they came to harass them twice, but after being beaten back, they never dared to come again. If Dali had not just been founded and needed to recuperate, the previous emperor would have wanted to attack them directly, so there would be no possibility for them to survive until now.
The Dongyi have been very well-behaved in recent years, and the emperor has even traded with them through Silla. If he wants to start a war, he needs to find a reason. He cannot start a war without any reason. Therefore, the emperor wanted Wang Yu to go there in advance to find a reason for him to start a war.
Wang Yu lowered his head, nodded and said "OK". It was easy to find a reason. There were so many false accusations in history, not to mention that Dongyi already had a criminal record.
Whether he went early or late, he had to go. This matter was ultimately his to do, so it was better to go earlier. Then he said to the emperor: "We just had a second child, and the child is still young. It is not suitable for long journeys. How about I go to Dingzhou in the spring next year?"
At that time, the second baby was one year old, so I felt more at ease even on long-distance boat rides. I had promised Cheng Chen before that I would take him with me wherever I go in the future. This trip to Dingzhou would take at least three years, so I had been thinking about this since the second baby was born. I must take him with me, and the eldest baby needs to stay in the capital to study.
The emperor knew that Wang Yu had a little brother, and he also thought of the gossip that Zhang Siyuan had told him about Wang Yu's shortcomings. He smiled and said, "Xiuzhi cares about his family very much, and has a good relationship with his husband?"
Wang Yu heard the emperor's relaxed tone and knew he was just chatting casually, so he said, "Well, my husband is very good, and the two children are also very good."
Wang Yu's tone softened as he mentioned his family. The emperor raised his eyebrows and seemed to be interested. "What's the eldest brother's name? Is he in school?"
He didn't know why the emperor was interested in his family affairs, but he answered anyway, "My eldest son is named Wang Chenze, and he went to Donglin Academy to study last year."
The emperor nodded and said: "Donglin Academy is very good."
Wang Yu: "Thanks to Mr. Lan, I was able to go to Donglin Academy with his invitation."
The emperor seemed to have thought of it, "Oh, yes, the teacher and Wan Shanchang have been friends for many years. When I went to the teacher's place, I met Wan Shanchang several times. The teacher likes you two."
Wang Yu knew that the emperor was talking about Song Boyan. "Ziheng is, after all, Mr. Lan's last disciple and a genius at studying."
The emperor nodded in agreement: "Song Ziheng is very good."
Then he added, "Xiuzhi's birth is a happy occasion. I'll pick out two things to send to your two children later."
Wang Yu quickly bowed to the emperor and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The emperor raised his hand and helped him up. "You will go to Dingzhou in the early spring of next year. Go back and make good preparations."
After talking with the emperor, Wang Yu left the palace. Not long after returning home, the emperor's rewards to Dabao and Erbao also arrived. Dabao was given the finest four treasures of the study, and Erbao was given a longevity jade lock and various toys.
Eunuch Xin smiled and said, "Master Zajia also said that the emperor was very attentive when choosing gifts. He even asked Master Zajia what to give to the children. It is obvious that Lord Wang is very popular with the emperor."
Wang Yu looked at the things the emperor had given him, all of which Dabao and Erbao could use. He was truly thoughtful. He smiled and handed Eunuch Xin a purse, then said gratefully, "Your Majesty's grace is immense. I am deeply grateful."
"Eunuch Xin, would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"
Eunuch Xin waved his hand and said, "I won't drink this time. I still have to go back and report to the Emperor."
Wang Yu didn't want to keep him, but bowed and said, "Well, take care, eunuch. Come back for tea next time when you are free."
After seeing off Eunuch Xin, Cheng Chen and the king's father and mother looked at the rewards on the table. The king's mother picked up the jade lock and touched it. She had handled a lot of jade over the years and knew that the emperor's rewards were all top-notch. She asked, "Are these the emperor's rewards for Dabao and Erbao?"
Wang Yu nodded and said, "Yes, the emperor summoned me today and told me about going to Dingzhou. We'll go there in the spring of next year."
Hearing this, Wang Yu's father and mother, who were originally immersed in the joy of the emperor's reward, felt a little uncomfortable when they knew that Wang Yu was going on another long journey. Dingzhou was so far away, but since it was an errand arranged by the emperor, Wang Yu had to go.
"Mom and Dad, I won't go until the beginning of next spring. If things go well, I'll be back in three years. But after I'm gone, you'll have to trouble me to take care of Dabao."
The Queen Mother said indifferently: "You must do the job assigned by the Emperor well. Dabao is very obedient. These are all trivial matters. Even if you are away from home, you must take good care of yourself."
Then he thought that Wang Yu would not leave until the beginning of next spring, so why was he thinking about these things now? Then he looked at the things given by the emperor.
Returning to her room at night, Cheng Chen thought about how her husband had only mentioned Dabao in the afternoon, and hadn't mentioned his plans for Erbao, so she asked, "Are you going to take my Erbao to Dingzhou as well?"
Wang Yu looked at Cheng Chen's expectant eyes and patted his head. "Well, I promised you before that I would take you wherever I go. Erbao is still young and can't leave without you, so he needs to be with you. Next spring, Erbao will be one year old and can go on long trips too."
Knowing that her husband was going to take her to Dingzhou, she squinted her eyes, snuggled in Wang Yu's arms, and nodded her head in a coquettish manner.
Wang Yu knew that Cheng Chen would only act like a spoiled child when he was particularly happy, so he smiled and kissed the head in his arms, "Go to sleep."
Spring goes and winter comes, winter goes and spring comes again, it is the season when all things revive and flowers bloom. When the second baby is one year old, Wang Yu names him Chenxi, and the second baby has his own name, Wang Chenxi.
At the end of last year, the emperor had issued an edict, sending Wang Yu to Dingzhou to serve as the fifth-rank prefect, the highest official in a state, but under the jurisdiction of the prefect of a prefecture, which is equivalent to a modern prefecture-level city.
Those who are not in the know may think that the emperor has become less interested in him since he rarely summoned Wang Yu in the past two years. Compared with the first two years when he summoned, promoted and rewarded Wang Yu, his interest in him has indeed decreased a lot.
But I didn't expect that he would be promoted twice and sent to the local level. It seems that he still has the emperor's favor. I'm afraid he will be sent to the local level for two years to gain experience before coming back to a higher position. Wang Yu was only 27 years old and he had already reached the fifth rank. His promotion was indeed fast enough, which made his colleagues envious for a moment.
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