The seventh day of the first lunar month in the third year of Tiande.
Yu Dynasty, Jinling.
It was already noon, and the sky was just beginning to brighten.
The rest period of the Yu Dynasty was shorter than that of the Wu Dynasty. They started their court on the fifth day of the first lunar month.
At the grand court meeting on the fifth day of the first lunar month, Yu Wendao said that he also needed to tour the entire Yu Dynasty, to see the conditions in various places with his own eyes, and to understand the people's livelihood in various places - this was of course very good. In the neighboring Wu Dynasty, Fu Xiaoguan had visited various places last year and not only killed a group of corrupt officials, but also promulgated some policies that benefited the country and the people.
On the fifth day of the first lunar month, Jinling Sitong Money House also opened for business. On the very opening day, the stocks of Chen, Zhou and Lu families actually soared!
This made Chang Yu very happy. Looking at the crowded scene, he felt that he had a good start.
These were all normal and did not arouse Chang Yu's vigilance at all, nor did they arouse the vigilance of the three major shareholders. The stock price was rising, which meant that the stocks they held were more valuable, and their wealth was also increasing.
Yu Wendao didn't even pay attention to this situation. The Ministry of Commerce was gone, and he didn't care about stocks at all.
He looked at the gray sky outside. "It looks like there's going to be another snowfall. This is only the second snowfall of the winter, but if there are a few more, I think there won't be much of a problem by the time spring plowing starts. But I still have to ask local officials in all provinces to be careful about any disasters."
Zhuo Liuyun nodded.
Yu Wendao then looked at Chang Huan and asked, "How are the preparations going?"
"We are currently rotating our forces. If we want to completely replace the 300,000-strong army with the southern border troops without making a fuss, this will probably take until February."
Yu Wendao thought for a moment and said, "It's not too late. Although Zhou Tongtong doesn't seem to have any suspicious qualities, we still have to be on guard against him... After I leave, I'll have to trouble you to take care of me!"
Zhuo Liuyun and Chang Huan both cupped their hands, "This is what I should do!"
"Success or failure... depends on this one move!"
Yu Wendao walked out of the imperial study and looked up at the sky, which was still gray.
He left the palace in a sedan chair from the back door, where his thousand elite Tiance Army soldiers were.
He got off the sedan chair, climbed onto his horse, and whispered, "Let's go!"
An army of a thousand men left Jinling, but they were not heading towards Wofeng Road, but towards...Fan State!
In this army of a thousand people, there were four carriages, and sitting inside were the three major patriarchs of the Chen, Zhou and Lu families!
There are spies from Xiyu Tower all around this team.
Just half an hour before this team left the city, another similar team left from the main gate and headed towards Wofeng Road.
The ant colony spies who were keeping an eye on Jinling all followed the team all the way north.
It seems that no one knows about this secret plan.
…
…
Fan State, Yunzhou, and Prince Ning's Palace.
The year before last, he went to Wu Dynasty and signed a trade agreement between the two countries with Fu Xiaoguan. After returning to Fan State, in March of last year, Fan Tianning married Xue Yuyan, the fifth daughter of the Xue family. He was then canonized as Prince Ning by his father, and his fiefdom was Yunzhou.
In April, he brought his wife to Yunzhou and lived in Yunlan City, the capital of Yunzhou.
Before this, he had asked his father for permission to start building a bridge in the Yunzhou section of the Lancang River. Now, the bridge connecting the two places has been completed, and the Beijun City in Hexizhou of the Wu Dynasty opposite has also been expanded.
The trade between the two countries started in Beijun City and became increasingly prosperous, which simply surprised Fan Tianning beyond words.
"Yu Yan, there are only a handful of people I admire in my life, and this Fu Xiaoguan is one of them."
Xue Yuyan smiled sweetly and fiddled with the charcoal in the stove. "I did meet that man twice when I was in Nanjing. He caught the eye of Emperor Xuan with a disaster relief plan and rose to prominence in Nanjing. Back then, I listened most to his poems and essays, as well as the book 'A Dream of Red Mansions.'"
"Yan Xiaolou was captured by him because of that book. Later, when my family was in trouble, he went to the southwest battlefield and killed my father and mother. To be honest, he is still my enemy, but I don't have much resentment towards him."
Xue Yuyan looked up at the door. The fog outside was thinner and the ground was wet. It seemed like it was going to rain.
"Am I unfilial?" Xue Yuyan turned around and looked at her husband.
Fan Tianning grinned, "They each serve their own masters. General Xue was deceived by the Fourth Prince Yu Wenshu and made an unwise move. As for Fu Xiaoguan, he was ordered by Emperor Xuan to quell the rebellion. Rebellion is a matter of great importance to the country, and no monarch can tolerate it. You are right not to resent him. At least I don't want to be his enemy."
Xue Yuyan understood very well the friendship between Fan Tianning and Fu Xiaoguan. She nodded slightly, thinking that Fu Xiaoguan was so powerful, how could he have any enemies?
Fan Tianning walked out of the warm room and came to the yard. He stretched his waist and looked up at the sky. Just then, a drop of rain fell on his face.
The weather in Yunzhou is like this. It doesn’t snow when it should snow, and it doesn’t rain when it should rain. Winter is a bit uncomfortable.
He thought of Ku Chan. That guy actually raised enough money to build the temple by begging in Chi Le Chuan. It was definitely not much, but it was the first temple of the Buddhist sect in Chi Le Chuan after all.
Ku Chan said that construction would begin this year. After it was completed, he would continue to stay in the temple to preach and it seemed that he had no intention of returning to Fan State.
Well, that was his ideal.
Ideal...What is my ideal?
Fan Tianning suddenly thought of such a brain-burning question.
Fu Xiaoguan once said that his ideal was to be a small landlord, but he didn't expect that he would not become a small landlord, but instead became an emperor.
What about me?
Basically, I will be a peaceful prince in Yunzhou for the rest of my life. Yes, for the rest of my life.
Unless summoned by his father or the future emperor, he would never be able to return to Jang Geum Castle or visit the Misty Lake and the Holy Lotus Island.
Yunzhou is nice. It is just across the river from Wu Dynasty. If you can’t go back to the capital, you can go to Wu Dynasty.
I heard that he is going to sea in February this year, so I will wait for him to return and take my wife to have a drink with him - those two jars of old wine taste very good, I must ask him for some more.
Fan Tianning grinned to himself foolishly, but saw the housekeeper of the mansion hurried in.
"Your Highness, the Yunzhou prefect requests an audience."
Fan Tianning was stunned. Why did Magistrate Lin come here so early?
"Bring him in."
Prefect Lin was his household slave and had long been sent out to serve as an official. Last year, when he was granted his fiefdom in Yunzhou, he secretly transferred the prefect here.
"Your Highness." Prefect Lin bowed.
"What is it?"
"Your Highness, I have a feeling something is very strange, and the more I think about it, the more it seems wrong. It's only the beginning of the new year, and the Ministry of Revenue has suddenly sent a large amount of grain and fodder to our Yunzhou... It was transported by water from eight states. The order is to store it in Yunzhou and only use it after receiving an imperial decree."
Fan Tianning frowned immediately. Yunzhou is not short of food!
"How many?"
"It's still on the way, but the order from the Ministry of Revenue arrived last night. It's enough food and horses for 300,000 soldiers for more than a month."
Fan Tianning looked up anxiously, and a few drops of cold rain fell on his face in the azure smoke.
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