"Your Majesty, congratulations! You are almost three months pregnant!" Yun Que took Yelü Yanyun's pulse, very happy. The matter her master had entrusted to her was finally progressing.
"Really? I was wondering why. I felt discomfort in my lower abdomen after that night. So you were already pregnant!"
Yelü Yanyun originally thought that she had been suffering from acclimatization problems since arriving in Qi. Her menstrual cycle was already irregular, so she didn't pay much attention to it until the appearance of this bleeding problem made her take it seriously.
"Your Majesty, please summon the imperial physician. You are the only pregnant lady in the harem. The sooner it is announced, the more stable the pregnancy will be. Let the imperial physician prescribe some precious medicine to prevent miscarriage, thus preventing anyone with malicious intent from harming your child!"
Yelü Yanyun also thought Yun Que's words made sense and nodded.
"Your Majesty, the northern border has been constantly harassing our frontier recently. They say that the northern border has suffered a severe winter, and the local people have no food. They have repeatedly come to our border to burn, kill, loot, and plunder!"
"Yes! Your Majesty, I've heard that things have become increasingly outrageous lately, probably because they see you're not intervening!"
As soon as Qi Jingxuan entered the morning court, the ministers began to discuss among themselves. He had received the news last night and had his own ideas in mind. The two years of recuperation and development were almost over, and he wanted to send troops directly to destroy the Northern Frontier!
After all, this was his dream. He felt that he had not performed well in his battle against Yelü Hongji.
In the past two years, the power of the Great Qi Kingdom has been growing day by day, but at this time their northern border is disobedient and has been constantly provoking its borders. This is just the right opportunity.
He then planned to select an elite general from among the generals in the court, and just as he had destroyed the southern border, directly conquer the northern border. In this way, the State of Qi could unify the Central Plains.
"My esteemed ministers, my esteemed ministers, calm down. I have already made up my mind. I intend to destroy the Northern Frontier. What do you all think?"
"Your Majesty, I think your idea is good. But can the army of Qi defeat the Rong and Di tribes in the north? And it is winter now. In such cold weather, how will we, the people of the Central Plains, adapt to it?" The speaker was the Grand Tutor. Since he took over the case of the Minister of the Interior's embezzlement, he felt that his status had risen, and now he could stand tall in the court!
General Xu had long harbored this intention, given his son's grave error. This presented a perfect opportunity for him to make amends, and if the Emperor were to discover these matters, he could use his military merits to plead for leniency. "Your Majesty," General Xu said, "I believe it is feasible. Our Great Qi is now the most powerful of all the surrounding nations, and unifying the Central Plains is not impossible."
"I have already instructed the military to begin mobilizing resources and preparing provisions for the campaign. It is indeed impossible to wage war in winter, but we can take advantage of the busy northern nomadic tribes after spring arrives and seize them in one fell swoop. However, we have not yet come up with a plan. Let's see which general will volunteer for this campaign."
General Xu immediately knelt down. "Your Majesty, please send me to lead the expedition."
Qi Jingxuan frowned. Among so many military officers in the court, why did General Xu volunteer to be the first to go into battle?
Then he said to him, "General Xu, it's not that I don't agree, it's just that you are getting old, and there are many young generals in the court. Wouldn't it be better to give this opportunity to the young generals to make contributions?"
General Xu immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed twice. "Your Majesty, please give me this opportunity. Lian Po is old, can he still fight? Although he is old, General Huang Zhong died on the battlefield at the age of seventy. What can't I do? Besides, I am only fifty years old. It is the time when I am still vigorous. Please give the order, Your Majesty."
"this·····"
"Your Majesty, please do not hesitate any longer. I have fought countless battles and I am certain that I will conquer the northern frontier in one fell swoop and expand the territory of our Great Qi Kingdom. I am determined to leave a significant mark on history. Please grant my request, Your Majesty."
Qi Junxuan nodded, acknowledging the old general who had served him for many years. Even at the age of fifty, he did not hesitate at all. "Good, I'm just doing this because of your enthusiasm. I'll immediately mobilize the troops and have you begin training. After spring, we'll march north and take over the northern frontier."
The officials were full of admiration for General Xu for his resolute request. A glint also flashed in the Grand Tutor's eyes. He had been investigating for almost half a month, and it was time to reveal his findings.
"Your Majesty, I wish to impeach Minister Cai of the Ministry of Revenue today!"
"Oh?" Qi Jingxuan knew perfectly well that the Grand Tutor must have already obtained all the evidence against the Minister and identified all his cronies. Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought it up at this time. However, Qi Jingxuan had to pretend that he knew nothing. After all, he couldn't let the court officials know that he was secretly investigating them behind the scenes. Otherwise, it would disrupt the court!
"The Minister is the Emperor's father-in-law, what's there for you to criticize? He just had a useless daughter who's now in the cold palace, what more do you want?"
The Grand Tutor strode forward and knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, this is not the matter I intend to impeach recently!"
Qi Jingxuan feigned interest as he looked at the Grand Tutor kneeling on the ground. "Oh? It's not about that. What else does the Imperial Father-in-Law have to say? Don't slander an honest official, Grand Tutor!"
Upon hearing this, the Minister immediately knelt down. “Thank you for Your Majesty’s mercy on this old minister. It is normal for the Grand Tutor to want to impeach me, as we always disagree. Your Majesty, please do not blame him. The Grand Tutor is getting old, so perhaps he should go home and retire.”
Qi Jingxuan sneered. This old man, still thinking he can get the Grand Tutor to retire to his hometown? He's dreaming! Doesn't he know what mistake he made? And yet he still pretends to be all righteous and virtuous!
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