Chapter 91091 The King and His Ministers Confronted
In the blink of an eye, five days had passed since Du Qingtang proposed the proposal to increase treasury revenue.
During these five days, Du Qingtang met with Minister Qi several times for official business. Minister Qi never mentioned the women's club, as if the conversation that day was just an illusion.
Du Qingtang knew very well that impatient people cannot eat hot tofu. Since Minister Qi avoided talking about it, she pretended that nothing had happened and did her job conscientiously.
Until the sixth day.
It happened to be the middle of the month when the court distributed salaries. Du Qingtang counted the required salaries and sent it to Minister Qi for review.
After Minister Qi confirmed that everything was correct, he stamped his official seal and said, "Send the salaries as soon as possible to avoid the constant urging. It's giving me a headache."
Du Qingtang responded respectfully, took the account book and was about to leave.
Minister Qi suddenly said, "Master Du, wait a moment."
Du Qingtang turned around and asked: "What are your instructions, sir?"
Minister Qi sat upright, his fingers intertwined. "Regarding the matter you told me a few days ago, I sent people to investigate all the major rouge and powder shops in the capital after returning home. I discovered that, as Lord Du said, those shops are indeed doing very well. Whether it's the daughters of officials or commoners, they are all willing to spend money on these products."
Minister Qi coughed lightly and said, "Let's follow your suggestion and start selling rouge and powder to test the waters. If business is good, we can further develop a women's club."
Du Qingtang was not surprised by this. After seeing the spending power of women, it was hard for Minister Qi not to be moved.
"Master Du, please write a detailed plan later. I will submit it to His Majesty tomorrow. Once His Majesty approves it, it can be officially put on the agenda."
Du Qingtang cupped his hands and said, "Yes, I will obey your orders, sir."
Qi Shangshu smiled on his face and looked at her with an extremely kind look. If the women's club could really increase revenue for the national treasury, it would be a great achievement.
"Okay, go get busy."
Du Qingtang agreed and left with the account book.
After returning to the duty room, she put her official duties aside for the time being and spent half an hour drafting the relevant regulations.
From the production of rouge and powder to its marketing and sales, it covers all aspects in detail and even a layman can understand it.
Du Qingtang wrote eloquently on several sheets of paper, and after the ink dried, he sent them to Minister Qi.
When Minister Qi saw Du Qingtang coming back, he glanced at the hourglass on the corner of the table with a surprised look on his face, as if to say, "Why are you back again?"
Du Qingtang presented the relevant regulations: "Sir, I have written it."
Minister Qi was even more surprised. He took it and looked at it. The dense handwriting made him a little dazzled. He didn't know what to say for a moment. He was speechless for a while and could only sigh: "Lord Du is really fast. I thought it would take this afternoon at the earliest."
Du Qingtang certainly wouldn't say she had already prepared a draft in her mind, she just took the time to copy it down: "This is a serious matter, it's better to finish it as soon as possible."
Minister Qi exclaimed in admiration, saying that it would be great if everyone in the Ministry of Revenue could be as worry-free as Lord Du.
He read it from beginning to end and could not find any mistakes or loopholes in the whole article. He made a quick decision and said, "I will submit this memorial to His Majesty right away!"
Du Qingtang retired after completing his mission and returned to the duty room to deal with the mountain of official documents.
......
Without further ado, Minister Qi quickly wrote the memorial, directly used the privileges of the head of the Ministry of Users, and rushed all the way to the Imperial Study to ask for an audience with Emperor Qingyuan.
After Wu Guangwu "committed suicide out of fear of punishment", the Ministry of Revenue fell into the hands of Emperor Qingyuan, who promoted his man, Qi Jiang, to be the Minister of Revenue, and promoted Zhao Langzhong, who was law-abiding and honest, to be the Right Vice Minister.
As for the Left Vice Minister, Emperor Qingyuan was originally looking for a candidate, and it happened that Du Qingtang made great contributions, so he gave this position to Du Qingtang.
It can not only demonstrate his importance to Du Qingtang, but also test Du Qingtang to see whether she can stick to her original intention and devote herself to the public.
The eunuch came to report. Emperor Qingyuan's mind was racing, and he kept reviewing the memorials: "Announce."
Minister Qi entered, bowed, greeted, and presented a memorial.
After reading the memorial, Emperor Qingyuan tapped his desk lightly with his fingers and said, "This idea wasn't yours, was it?"
Minister Qi knew he couldn't hide it from Emperor Qingyuan, and he had no intention of stealing Du Qingtang's credit, so he told the truth: "Your Majesty, the women's club was the idea of Minister Zuo."
Left Vice Minister, Du Qingtang.
Emperor Qingyuan raised his eyebrows slightly. It was her again.
Fu Rui's mouth was twitching as well. Why was this Lord Du everywhere?
Emperor Qingyuan read through the regulations drafted by Du Qingtang, pondered for a while and said, "It's quite interesting. I approve it."
Anyway, those government-owned stores are in a downturn and make little money all year round. It would be better for them to change their appearance and do other businesses.
Emperor Qingyuan added, "Since it was Du Aiqing who proposed it, let her do it. You should keep a close eye on her. Du Aiqing is young, so make sure nothing goes wrong."
Minister Qi immediately realized that His Majesty was intending to hone Lord Du, and he quickly agreed. After returning to the Ministry of Revenue, he conveyed His Majesty's intention to Du Qingtang.
Du Qingtang opened his eyes slightly wide upon hearing this, feeling very flattered: "Your Majesty, please rest assured. I will not let you down."
Seeing Lord Du's eyes shining brightly and his fighting spirit soaring, Minister Qi couldn't help but think of his own youth, so he kindly offered a few words of advice: "There are many tenants on the imperial farm, all of whom are trustworthy. Lord Du can go there to select workers and make rouge and powder."
Du Qingtang bowed and thanked him, quickly finished the official business at hand, and went to the imperial farm in the afternoon.
She selected fifty neatly dressed and nimble servants, first demonstrated the process herself, and then watched the servants repeat the process, pointing out the mistakes and praising the mistakes.
In this way, the servants will be able to master the job in just two days.
Du Qingtang confirmed again and again that there was no problem, so he sent people to guard the imperial farm to prevent the recipe from being leaked, and rode back to the Ministry of Revenue.
During the two days she was absent, all official duties were handled by Minister Qi and Minister Zhao.
These two were already busy with official duties, and they had to squeeze out time to help Du Qingtang deal with it. They were so busy that they didn't even have time to eat.
Du Qingtang felt a little guilty about his non-existent conscience. After finishing the affairs at the imperial farm, he quickly rushed back to the Ministry of Revenue to take back all his official duties.
Her pen left an afterimage, but even so, half of the documents were still left to be processed when she got off work.
Du Qingtang brought him back to the Du residence. After having dinner with Fu Ci, he went straight into the study and studied by lamplight until late at night.
——Fu Ci is a woman, and it is inconvenient for her to live in Yao’s house. She feels more secure in Du’s house, so she moved there in early October.
Yao Jingzhou knew that Fu Ci and his uncle were as close as brothers, so he did not try to keep him and asked his servants to help him pack his luggage.
The next day, Du Qingtang rushed to attend the morning court before the hour of Mao, and then returned to the Ministry of Revenue to handle official business. During this time, he also took the time to visit the imperial farm to check on the progress of the tenants.
The tenant servant had already made some of it, and Du Qingtang tried it on the spot. It felt very good on the skin.
A faint smile appeared on the Minister's face, like the winter snow melting, the coldness was gone: "Very good."
The tenant servant breathed a sigh of relief and continued to work hard.
......
Here, Du Qingtang worked day and night to achieve merit, sleeping less than two hours a day. However, in Qingyuan County, thousands of miles away, there was peace and tranquility.
After Du Qingtang left, Du Qingzhu used the dividends from Du Ji Snacks over the years to buy a restaurant.
The restaurant is located on Qingshui Street. Due to the owner's poor management and the food and wine not meeting the diners' taste, the restaurant has been deserted in the past two years and has been unable to make ends meet.
The owner lost interest in running the restaurant and decided to sell it.
Du Qingzhu took out all her assets, and Du Qingju also invested 200 taels as a share. The two sisters pooled together 800 taels and successfully took over the restaurant.
The original decoration of the restaurant was very good, so Du Qingzhu only asked someone to do some minor renovations. He picked a good day when everything was suitable, and the Shixiang Pavilion was officially opened.
Just as Du Qingzhu had envisioned many years ago, the menu written by her was neatly hung behind the counter, and her calligraphy and paintings were hung throughout the restaurant.
Whether they are regular customers of Du Ji Snacks or first-time customers, they are all amazed by the beautiful handwriting on the menu and calligraphy, and they all praise the owner's extraordinary talent.
Along with Du Qingzhu's talent, her superb cooking skills were also well-known.
"She's worthy of being the top scholar's sister. Her handwriting is beautiful, and her cooking is delicious. The aroma is so fragrant that it makes my tongue fall off."
"The most important thing is that the prices at Shixiang Pavilion are fair, a few cents cheaper than other restaurants."
“Delicious! I’ll come again next time!”
In addition to the city's gourmets, literati and poets also prefer the atmosphere of Shixiang Pavilion, and often gather here to play the piano, write, recite poems and sing lyrics.
The other restaurants in Qingyuan County were very jealous of Shixiang Pavilion's business, but were also wary of Du Qingzhu's brother, a third-rank official, and the village chief's sister. They were so angry that they could only watch their own business get worse day by day.
Du Qingzhu knew nothing about this.
She only knew that diners liked her cooking and her calligraphy and paintings.
After closing the shop that evening, Du Qingzhu and Du Qingju walked home.
The young woman smiled broadly, each strand of her hair radiating joy. "Now that my fifth and sixth sisters have become female teachers, and you, Xiaoba, have become a household name, as for me... the Food Fragrance Pavilion is running smoothly, with a constant stream of guests and endless praise. I can at least say that I've achieved the beginnings of my dream."
Du Qingzhu looked up at the sky, her fair face coated in a golden-red halo by the sunset glow: "It's so beautiful, it's like a dream."
Du Qingju smoothed the hair on her temples and said, "Who said it wasn't?"
Although her dream of entering the Imperial Hospital did not come true, she was not discouraged.
As the head of Deyang Township appointed by His Majesty himself, the magistrate of Qingyuan County treated her with great courtesy. Now that she is practicing at Huimin Medical Clinic, patients are polite to her when they come to her for help, which makes her feel extremely relieved.
As long as she persists in her studies, she will be able to enter the Imperial Medical Service and become the first female doctor in the history of the Imperial Medical Service.
Thinking of this, Du Qingju's eyebrows curved and her whole body was filled with strength.
The two sisters walked into the alley while chatting and laughing, and saw a few people standing at the door from afar.
Looking at that figure, it vaguely looks like a woman.
"Could it be that he came to seek medical treatment?" Du Qingzhu speculated, touching his chin.
Du Qingju hummed softly: "Maybe."
Some women had secrets that were difficult to tell and were unable to go to the clinic for treatment, so they found out the location of the Du family and went there in person to seek medical treatment.
When Zhu and Ju approached, they found that the visitor was an old acquaintance.
"Sister Wang?" Du Qingju looked at one of the women, a flash of surprise on her face. Then she thought of something and quickly took out the key to open the door. "Come in quickly."
Wang Nianci exchanged glances with the people around her, pursed her lips, followed Du Qingzhu into the house, and sat down in the main hall.
Du Qingzhu went to the kitchen to boil water, and Du Qingju spontaneously took on the responsibility of receiving the guests.
Du Qingju looked at the people opposite her. Although they looked dusty, their faces were rosy. She couldn't help but feel relieved: "Sister Wang, have you been waiting for a long time?"
Wang Nianci shook her head: "We arrived in Qingyuan County this afternoon and spent some time asking around. We only found this place not long ago."
She paused, clenched her fingers, her fingertips turning slightly white, and whispered, "I only found out after I returned home that my father had announced to the public that I had passed away last year."
"My father won't let me stay at the charity house, nor will he allow me to appear in the city. I think he's worried that people I know will find out I'm not dead... I'm really desperate, so I have the audacity to come and bother you."
She had known that her father was old-fashioned and her mother obeyed him blindly, but when she heard with her own ears that her father had died and kicked her out of the house without any explanation, and when her mother did not stop him, she still felt heartbroken.
She endured 385 days of hardship and returned home after overcoming numerous obstacles.
However, she didn't expect that when she was suffering humiliation, her parents and her relatives had already abandoned her.
Fortunately, this disaster made Wang Nianci's heart become extremely strong. She did not lose heart. She was depressed for a while, and then she resolutely took the remaining money and came to Qingyuan County.
On the way, he met several women who had shared hardships with him, and they joined together to seek refuge with Miss Du.
Wang Nianci has already made up her mind that after settling down in Qingyuan County, she can start some small business first. Once she has some money, she can repay the Du siblings who saved her life.
After Wang Nianci finished speaking, several other women also told their stories.
"During the years I was abducted, my mother died of depression. My father remarried and had a pair of children with his second wife. That woman was afraid that my existence would bring disgrace to the family, so she ordered the doorman to refuse me entry. My father never showed up the entire time, probably because he approved of her decision."
"My parents didn't reject me. Instead, my two brothers, who treated me like a treasure, planned to marry me off to a wealthy businessman in his fifties as a concubine. I didn't want to, and my parents couldn't make the decision, so I ran away."
“…”
After hearing what happened to Wang Nianci and the other six, Du Qingju frowned, her face full of disapproval: "We are all blood relatives, how could they be so cruel?"
Du Qingzhu walked in carrying a teapot and said indignantly, "It's better not to have such relatives. I'll go to the pawnshop tomorrow and rent a larger yard. Sister Wang, you can settle down first."
The women were all uneasy. Wang Nianci's eyes were red. "I'm really sorry to have caused you so much trouble. I can't repay you for your kindness..."
Du Qingzhu quickly interrupted her: "What trouble? It's not a trouble at all! It's just a small favor. If you really feel bad, you can just owe me the rent for now and pay it back when you make some money. Is that okay?"
Du Qingju agreed: "Sisters can all read and write. You can go to our Qiong English Society. If you are lucky, you can be hired as a female teacher and earn at least one or two taels of silver a month."
Du Qingzhu's eyes lit up and he came up with an idea: "You can also come to my Food Fragrance Pavilion. The original staff is too busy to handle it. I'm planning to go to the market to recruit people."
Wang Nianci and the others were overjoyed. They stood up together and bowed to Du Qingzhu and Du Qingju: "Thank you, Miss Du."
As Lord Du said, if a person is not afraid of death, how can he be afraid of living?
They have survived the most difficult days. As long as they are alive and the sun rises and sets as usual, there is no obstacle that they cannot overcome.
It's just a matter of starting over in a different place.
They can still live a prosperous and beautiful life!
-
Ten days passed in a flash.
The servants worked day and night and finally produced a batch of cosmetics that met Du Qingtang's requirements.
In addition to the common facial creams, lip balms and powders on the market, there are also eye shadows, highlighters, contouring and other cosmetics that are indispensable in modern society.
Du Qingtang also personally designed the packaging, which is divided into high-end and affordable versions.
Both packages feature images of women with delicate makeup and flowing hair, but the high-end version is inlaid with pearls and looks more refined, while the affordable version is just a white ceramic makeup box.
The former is exclusively supplied to wealthy ladies in Beijing and is priced very attractively, while the latter is supplied to common women and is more affordable.
In addition, Du Qingtang also asked his servants to make brocade boxes, combining cosmetics into various sets and putting them into the brocade boxes for packaging and sale.
In late October, Du Qingtang returned to Xiajing City from the imperial farm with a hundred brocade boxes.
At Du Qingtang's suggestion, Minister Qi presented fifty sets of suits to Emperor Qingyuan, and the remaining fifty sets were donated free of charge to the top leaders of various departments and agencies.
The former was given as a reward to concubines, while the latter was given to wives and concubines at home.
The first person to get the cosmetics was naturally Empress Cao, the head of the harem.
Fu Rui personally delivered it and told me frankly that it was developed by the Minister of Revenue: "Your Majesty just received it and asked me to bring it to you."
Empress Cao smiled gently and said, "Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty. Bring it here for me to see."
When the palace maid presented the brocade box, Empress Cao looked surprised, but she didn't care in her heart.
What good thing can the Ministry of Revenue come up with? It's just to feed beggars.
However, Empress Cao still opened the makeup box out of courtesy.
She was holding a box of eye shadow, the powder was fine and had a sweet floral scent.
Empress Cao raised her eyebrows slightly, and according to the instructions in the brocade box, she quickly understood the purpose of eye shadow and ordered the palace maid to try makeup for her.
After a moment, Empress Cao looked at herself in the mirror and was surprised to find that her eyes had become clearer and appeared much deeper.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for me. I like it very much."
Fu Rui withdrew in response. Empress Cao raised her eyebrows in the mirror and said, "Come here, put on my full makeup."
The palace maid came forward and put makeup on Empress Cao according to the order and techniques in the instructions.
Half an hour later, Empress Cao looked at the woman in the bronze mirror with a dazed look in her eyes.
She was only three years younger than Emperor Qingyuan, and was no longer young.
Even though she pays attention to internal and external maintenance on a daily basis, wrinkles still appear at the corners of her eyes, and the skin on her face is sagging, making her look old.
However, at this moment, her eyes became brighter under the contrast of eye shadow, and the contours of her facial features became deeper and more upright under the effect of highlights and contouring.
"The Queen is so beautiful." The palace maid beside her exclaimed.
Empress Cao stroked her cheek gently, and a thoughtful look flashed in her eyes as she looked at the brocade box.
......
On this day, the concubines and noble ladies in all the palaces and mansions experienced a similar psychological process as Empress Cao.
From not caring at first to being amazed later, he held the bronze mirror tightly and couldn't believe that the woman in the mirror was himself.
"How could the Ministry of Revenue produce such fine powder? I feel ten years younger. I'll put it away for now. When His Majesty comes, I'll use it on my makeup again."
"Husband, I wonder where I can buy this 'cosmetics'? My aunt's birthday is coming up, and I want to buy her a set."
The officials were speechless for a while. They didn't know where to buy this thing.
Under their wives' expectant gazes, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "I'll go ask Mr. Qi from the Ministry of Revenue later."
The wife beamed: "Thank you, husband!"
So the next day, after the morning court session, as soon as Minister Qi walked out of the Golden Palace, he was surrounded by colleagues from various ministries and departments.
After learning the purpose of his colleague's visit, Minister Qi was stunned for a moment, but after realizing it, he suppressed the corner of his mouth that was curling up wildly and said, "It was thought up by Lord Du. It is expected to be available for sale in the official store in a few days."
The official who was sent by his wife to inquire about the news breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he could buy it, it would be fine.
When other officials passing by heard this, some were curious, while others were contemptuous.
"Is it really that useful? I'll buy a set for my wife later."
"A man like him is surrounded by women. It's really embarrassing for men!"
Minister Qi subconsciously looked for Du Qingtang, but saw that she had already walked away, as if she had not heard those unpleasant words.
He snorted in his heart, when the Ministry of Revenue makes a fortune, you will be jealous!
......
Five days later, Ningxianglou, an official store located in the south of the city, officially opened.
At the request of Minister Qi, Ningxianglou currently only sells cosmetics to the public.
Ancient cosmetics contained harmful ingredients such as lead and mercury, which are harmful to the human body if used for a long time.
So Du Qingtang used the gimmick of "natural skin care" and specially arranged two waiters to stand at the door and shout.
In addition, Du Qingtang also recruited several women and taught them how to put on makeup and taught them many makeup looks.
When the ladies and common women were attracted by the waiter's shouting and saw the exquisite makeup on the women's faces, they were pleased and their desire to buy was quietly born.
Du Qingtang was on the second floor and witnessed the guests coming in empty-handed, and finally leaving with bags of cosmetics, putting on the makeup that best suited them, and smiling.
With these living signs, Ningxianglou will never have to worry about not gaining fame.
This is indeed the case.
Let’s not talk about ordinary women for now. The ladies already have their own circles. When they buy something they like, they naturally want to share it with their friends.
Word spread quickly, and the thousand sets of cosmetics made by the tenant servants without sleep were sold out in just four days.
"Did you go to Ningxianglou to buy cosmetics?"
"Your makeup looks so beautiful, it brings out all your good qualities."
"You too, especially those eyes. The flickering gaze almost took my soul away."
The young women looked at each other, covered their mouths and chuckled, their faces full of joy.
Du Qingtang was well versed in the tactics of hunger marketing, and he immediately ordered people to put up a sign indicating that the product was out of stock. At the same time, he selected 200 servants to make the cosmetics overnight.
Two more days passed like this.
Five hundred sets of cosmetics were put on the shelves, and they were sold out again in just five or six hours.
Many of them came from the palace and came to buy on the orders of concubines.
As of early November, after deducting costs, Ningxianglou had made a total profit of five thousand taels.
Minister Qi was grinning from ear to ear: "A profit of five thousand taels a half month would be over one hundred thousand taels a year, enough to cover the tax revenue of several counties!"
Du Qingtang added calmly, "This is just the profit from cosmetics. If we open a women's club and carry out multiple projects at the same time, we will get more profits."
Minister Qi was overjoyed and walked out: "I will go to see Your Majesty..."
He turned back halfway and took Du Qingtang's hand affectionately: "Master Du, you are the first to make the contribution, and you should be the one to report to His Majesty."
Du Qingtang sternly refused: "Your Excellency is too kind. I didn't do anything, how can I be called the first meritorious official?"
Minister Qi was resolute, saying in a resounding voice, "Lord Du's proposal has, to a certain extent, alleviated the Ministry of Revenue's pressing needs. How can he not be the first to receive the credit?"
After three refusals and three requests, Minister Qi finally prevailed and Du Qingtang was sent out of the Ministry of Revenue.
Du Qingtang walked on the palace road, looking at the tall red walls, a smile flashed across his eyes.
Emperor Qingyuan is busy with all kinds of affairs and has countless loyal ministers around him. What does she, Du Qingtang, count for?
If Du Qingtang didn't fight for it, Emperor Qingyuan would probably never remember her as his subject.
The women's club was a ladder that would take her to the emperor's presence.
And Minister Qi lived up to her expectations and gave her the opportunity to report to the emperor.
Only when he appeared before the emperor could Du Qingtang implement the next plan.
......
Du Qingtang went to the imperial study and introduced himself.
"Du Qingtang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, requests an audience with Your Majesty."
The eunuch went inside to report, and came out a moment later: "Master Du, His Majesty invites you in."
Du Qingtang thanked him, stepped over the threshold and walked into the imperial study.
After many years, Du Qingtang came to the imperial study again.
Yu Guangzhong, all the furnishings in the imperial study are the same as in his previous life, even the tumbler on the antique shelf in the corner is in the same position as in his previous life.
Du Qingtang lowered his brows and eyes, then stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, your humble servant is here to see you."
Emperor Qingyuan's round and elegant face was filled with a smile, and his eyes were calm: "Lord Du, please stand up quickly."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Du Qingtang held the memorial in his hand and raised it above his head: "Your Majesty, this is the profit of the official store Ningxianglou since its opening half a month ago. Please take a look."
Fu Rui walked down and presented the memorial to Emperor Qingyuan.
After reviewing it, Emperor Qingyuan smiled and twirled his beard, "Five thousand taels a month! Looking across the entire Xiajing, there aren't many shops that can do that. Very good!"
He raised his eyes and looked down at Du Qingtang: "Lord Du, I'm very curious about what's going on in your head. Why do you always come up with so many wonderful ideas?"
Du Qingtang thought she was no different from ordinary people.
It's just that she has three more lives of experience and modern memories. She stands on the shoulders of her predecessors, so she can achieve twice the result with half the effort and make repeated contributions.
Du Qingtang's thoughts raced, but his expression remained respectful. "Your Majesty, you are too kind. I was simply improvising and prescribing the right remedy."
When smallpox broke out in Runing Prefecture, she tried to find ways to treat and prevent it.
The national treasury was not very full, so she tried to find ways to fill it up and relieve the pressure on the Ministry of Revenue.
That's all.
Emperor Qingyuan understood her hidden meaning and rubbed the jade ring on his thumb: "Tell me, what do you want me to reward you with?"
As long as you tell me, I will definitely reward you.
Beauty, wealth, and power, I can give you all.
My dear Du, what will you choose?
Fu Rui saw the genuine smile in His Majesty's eyes and couldn't help but sigh. Lord Du is really capable. He can make His Majesty smile.
You know, the Empress Dowager has been pressing hard lately, calling in the imperial physician every few days.
Daxia ruled the world with filial piety. Your Majesty, knowing the Queen Mother's intention behind feigning illness, still had to visit her despite his busy schedule.
After all this, His Majesty was naturally in a bad mood.
Fu Rui served the emperor personally and several times he found that the emperor kept his eyes open and stared at the dragon tent until dawn.
Fu Rui felt bitter in his heart, and silently raised Lord Du's status in His Majesty's mind to a higher level.
"I want nothing. It is my honor to share your Majesty's worries. But please, Your Majesty..."
Fu Rui looked at Du Qingtang curiously, but saw that she put her hand into her clothes while speaking. His eyes were stern. He thought that she was going to do something bad to His Majesty, and the word "someone come" was already on his throat.
"But please, Your Majesty, take a look at these two drawings."
Du Qingtang took out the blueprints he had kept close to him and raised his hands above his head.
Fury: "..."
Bai was nervous.
Receiving the signal from His Majesty, Fu Rui went down to get a blueprint of something unknown and presented it to Emperor Qingyuan.
Emperor Qingyuan originally thought it was some strange thing like cosmetics, and leaned lazily on the back of his chair. Until he saw the markings on the drawing clearly, his eyes changed several times, and he slowly sat up straight.
In the next song, Du Qingtang's voice is clear, respectful and ambitious.
"I believe that a weak nation has no diplomacy, and weakness will lead to attacks. Your Majesty, I believe, is well aware of this."
Fu Rui's breath stopped and he subconsciously looked at Emperor Qingyuan.
The gentleness in Emperor Qingyuan's eyes completely disappeared, and was filled with indifference and ruthlessness.
Du Qingtang ignored him and continued to talk: "A strong country must first have a strong army. The first blueprint in your hand is the weapon for strengthening the army that I offer you."
"Similarly, a rich nation has a strong military, and a strong military leads to victory."
"A full treasury is a strong backing for a strong army. But right now, Daxia's treasury is empty, and it has to pay tribute to Daqi every year. In my humble opinion, it is only a matter of time before its income exceeds its expenditure."
"The second blueprint in your hand is the weapon for enriching the country presented to you by me."
After Du Qingtang finished speaking, he bowed gracefully, then stood with his head lowered, as if waiting for Emperor Qingyuan's decision.
Fury took a secret look at him. His Majesty had no expression on his face, but his eyes were filled with cold scrutiny.
The imperial study was shrouded in a suffocating silence, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
The palace maids held their breath and concentrated, not daring to wipe the cold sweat that rolled down their foreheads and into their eyes.
A long time passed, so long that the hot tea in Emperor Qingyuan's hand no longer had any steam.
Emperor Qingyuan seemed to have finally found his voice and said in a deep voice, "Lord Du, can I trust you?"
Du Qingtang bowed down and saluted, and every word he said was powerful, firm and calm.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to serve you."
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