The emperor already knew that Jiang Jiuniang had entered the palace. He had many questions he wanted to ask Lu Baichuan, but when he heard that Lu Baichuan was seriously injured and unable to enter the palace for the time being, he thought that asking Jiang Jiuniang would be the same. After all, there were no secrets between the two of them, and it didn't matter who he asked.
However, since they were there to see the Empress, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to go directly there. He had to wait for the Empress to send someone to call him, and then he waited and waited from morning until the sun was almost setting before anyone finally came.
Without hesitation, the emperor got up and left, afraid that if he was too late, Jiang Jiuniang would have already gone home.
When the emperor arrived, the dishes had just been served. The first thing the emperor did was to take Xiangxiang and hold her, showing his great affection for her.
Although he has a daughter of his own, she has grown up and can no longer be held in his arms like she did when she was little. So he can only look on with envy at other people's daughters and hold them to satisfy his craving.
"Your Majesty, I have come to the palace today to tell you something. The matter is far more serious than we thought."
Before anyone even picked up their chopsticks, Jiang Jiuniang spoke first.
The emperor, who had been teasing Xiangxiang, became serious upon hearing this and said, "Tell me, I am ready."
"On the surface, the islanders came for the legendary treasure, but their real intention is still Beiyan. The island is short of resources and has been in internal strife recently, so they have set their sights on our Beiyan. At the same time, they have a master by their side. Bai Chuan and Brother Qin were both injured by the same person. If I hadn't arrived in time, they would probably have lost their lives."
"And more importantly, the islanders seem to have received help from the Eastern Court. If they unite against us, the pressure will be much greater than before."
“The islanders spread rumors that there is treasure in the mountains, and they have even been digging up graves. I suspect that they are not only looking for treasure, but perhaps there are other motives.”
Jiang Jiuniang told him everything she knew in one breath. The emperor frowned, and the empress's expression was not good either.
After finally resolving the troubles in Dongting, how come the islanders are causing trouble again? It's true that people are afraid of becoming famous, just like pigs are afraid of getting fat. Why don't the islanders keep an eye on other countries? It's because Beiyan has developed in recent years, making them envious.
At this moment, I really don't know whether it's good or bad.
The emperor pondered for a long time before speaking: "I could have guessed that the island nation would invade, but I received no news of their cooperation with the Eastern Court. Furthermore, I am not entirely clear about their purpose in digging up the graves. There are too many things that need to be investigated. Also, who is this expert you mentioned who helped the island nation? He was able to injure two of my generals. It is truly terrifying!"
At this point, the emperor had no desire to hold the child anymore. He handed Xiangxiang to a young eunuch to hold, his mind preoccupied.
Jiang Jiuniang was much more optimistic than him, and advised, "Your Majesty, there is no need to be too anxious. In fact, as long as we take precautions, even if the other side is very powerful, it will not cause any serious consequences. Besides, we are still here."
"Over the years, Your Majesty has cultivated many talents, which is much better than before. You should have confidence in yourself."
emperor:……
If it were really that easy, he wouldn't be so anxious.
The previous war with the Eastern Court had cost a lot of money and food. In just a few years, the islanders have invaded again. There will definitely be more wars in the future. The national treasury is empty, so we can only exploit the people. The people suffer the most.
He was a benevolent ruler who couldn't bear to see his people suffer so much, but food was essential for military campaigns, which is why he was so anxious.
He said, "The national treasury is empty; I'm afraid it can't support a war."
He exempted a lot of taxes during the previous natural disasters, and the people have only recovered in the last few years. If taxes are levied now, all the efforts of the people over the years will be in vain.
"What's the big deal? We've already confiscated a lot of money from the homes of corrupt officials. There must have been a lot of real gold, silver and grain inside. If we didn't confiscate much, it's just that the officials sent down to eat it. We can just keep confiscating. Besides, when it comes to fighting, the most important thing is to fill our stomachs. Potatoes have a high yield and are easy to store. His Majesty can allow the people to grow them on a large scale. Also, my nephew went to Xiteng and brought back a lot of new varieties. We've already started planting them in my fields for experiments. If the yield is good, we can grow them on a large scale. Food and clothing will not be a problem."
Jiang Jiuniang shared her insights, and she also planned to take out some grain seeds from her spatial storage and mix them with the seeds that Lu Xiaoyang had brought back. In that case, increasing the yield would not be a problem at all.
As for the costs that need to be spent, we'll start with those corrupt officials, and then with her. The real gold and silver she salvaged from the seabed is also intended to be used for the people. In that case, the Lu family will gain a good reputation and win the hearts of the people. Even if the emperor is wary, he won't dare to easily take action against the Lu family.
To be truly powerful, one must be as powerful as possible, so powerful that no one can shake one's resolve. Only then can one truly rest easy.
Her words indeed gave the emperor a lot of inspiration; as long as production could be increased, all other problems could be solved.
"Very well, very well. When it comes to finding a way out, we really have to rely on you. It's a great loss to Bei Yan that you're not going to serve in the court!"
The emperor immediately burst out laughing. The Lu family's business was not just about doing business. No matter what problems they encountered, they could always find a breakthrough by asking Lu Baichuan and his wife.
His precious minister, how could he have been so blinded by greed and become suspicious of the Lu family? He deserves to die!
Jiang Jiuniang laughed heartily and joked, "Forget it, forget it. I'm already busy with these things even if I don't become an official. If I really took an official position, I wouldn't even be able to get a good night's sleep."
The emperor couldn't help but roll his eyes. Was sleeping in really that important?
As the emperor, he has never slept until he naturally wakes up in recent years. Every day, he gets up before dawn to attend court, review memorials, and handle all kinds of important and trivial matters.
Hearing Jiang Jiuniang say this, he suddenly felt that being an emperor was so sad, that even sleeping in was a luxury.
"Alright, alright, now that we've finished talking, let's eat. The food will get cold soon."
The Empress spoke up and personally served food to the Emperor and Jiang Jiuniang. Jiang Jiuniang quickly said no need, and first gave the specially prepared baby food to Xiangxiang before starting to eat her own.
The emperor asked, "How are Bai Chuan and Qin Jian? I heard it's quite serious."
"It was indeed quite serious. Bai Chuan had almost all his blood drained out, and Brother Qin almost became an idiot. Luckily, I arrived in time. I still feel scared when I think about it now."
Jiang Jiuniang didn't stop eating while talking, speaking as casually as if she were buying vegetables at the market, leaving the emperor and empress completely stunned.
"It's that serious. No wonder all the people I sent have disappeared. They've probably all been killed."
The emperor sighed. It was no easy task to cultivate such talents, and yet they had all been lost.
"I didn't see any corpses on my way down the mountain. Maybe they're still alive, but they're being controlled and are now working for those people."
"What?"
The emperor stood up instantly, his face filled with shock, and he almost dropped the bowl in his hand.
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