Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Women's friendship sometimes only lasts for a moment.

Of course, whether it is false or true love depends on what happens over time.

Yelu Daribo, who had been prepared for a fight, felt as if he had punched cotton when he saw that the three women had no ill intentions. He didn't know what to do for a moment.

Hu Sanniang and Su Jinniang smiled upon seeing this, pulled her over to sit down, and chatted with her in private. Perhaps it was because the age difference was not that big, or perhaps it was because the four of them had similar experiences, that slowly the newcomer let down her guard.

When Lu Bu arrived, the four girls and Qiu Qiongying were talking excitedly, while Lu Wen and her younger brothers and sisters were running around the house. The sound of their conversations and the noisy screams of children could be heard from far away, which made the emperor stop immediately and look hesitantly at the noisy house in front of him.

In the eyes of Yu Cheng and other guards in the back, this man who was quite decisive on the battlefield hesitated for a long time before he took a step forward.

"Your Majesty has arrived——"

Outside the room, the eunuch raised his voice and called out. The noise inside the room stopped immediately, and then a little man ran out first. Lv Wen, who was sweating from playing, came over and hugged Lv Bu's legs: "Dad——"

Several women came out from behind. Wu Qing looked at her daughter unhappily but did not say anything to correct her. Lu Bu did not care. He laughed and lifted up his daughter and threw her. The girl flew into the air with laughter. Then he reached out his hand to catch her, held her in his arms, whispered a few words to her, and walked away with her in his arms.

"I have met His Majesty."

The four women plus Qiu Qiongying saluted Lu Bu.

"Don't do such empty formalities at home. There are no outsiders."

Lu Bu shook his head indifferently, looked at the other two younger children and smiled, then went over to touch their heads. Now he had both a son and a daughter, and he felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

He bent down and wanted to put Lu Wen down, but the girl hugged his neck and said coquettishly, "Daddy, carry me in." Lu Bu immediately smiled and said "Okay," and walked into the house.

"Your Majesty spoils Wen'er too much." Wu Qing reached out and gently slapped his daughter on the butt, causing Lu Wen to laugh a few times.

"It's okay, as long as the child is happy."

Lü Bu smiled and put his daughter on the ground, asking her to take the two little ones out to play. After watching the three of them run out, he looked at Yelu Daribo and said, "I wanted to ask you to come over tonight to meet the three of them, but I didn't expect you to come so early."

Yelu Daribo blinked, not knowing what to say. In her heart, she had not thought that she would stay here for such a long time. Fortunately, Lu Bu did not care about her thoughts. She looked at her apprentice and said, "I have asked Yang Zaixing to come over for a reunion dinner tonight."

After a brief pause, he looked at the girl's bright eyes and then said with a smile: "It seems that I can't keep you as my disciple anymore."

"What is the master talking about?" Qiongying blushed. Seeing Wu Qing, Hu Sanniang and Su Jinniang looking at her with smiles, she couldn't keep the face any longer. She said, "I'm going to the yard to play with Wen'er." and turned around and ran out.

"His Majesty……"

"There's no one here, so just call me Sir. I'm used to hearing you call me that."

"My dear." Wu Qing was delighted, with a smile in her eyes: "Are you planning to marry Qiongying to Zaixing?"

"I have such a plan." Lu Bu nodded, reaching out to pick up a piece of crystal cake and eating it. "We have watched them grow up, how could we not know what they are thinking? Recently, Zaixing's father is still staying in Linhuang Prefecture because of the matter of ascending the throne. I will discuss it with him tomorrow. In two years, they will be too old and people will gossip about them."

After thinking for a while, he continued, "And little sister Hua, I heard from Hua Rong that Xu Wen is still a lovesick man. It's rare that little sister doesn't hate him, so why don't we just do it together."

Yelu Dalibo didn't quite understand what was said, so he sat down aside, didn't say anything, and just listened quietly.

Hu Sanniang chuckled: "Didn't my husband dislike Xu Wen two years ago? Why do you agree now?"

"At that time, he was just a private trader. How could such a lowly person marry a tiger girl?" Lu Bu snorted and tapped the table lightly: "Now they are considered a good match."

"You are too harsh, my dear. It was normal for him to have such thoughts when he was in the mountains before."

Su Jinniang said something, but she didn't defend Xu Wen too much. Although her family was also in business, it was different from the Xu family's smuggling. It was a legitimate business, so she just complained a little.

Lu Bu was speechless for a moment, then snorted twice: "No matter what, Hua Rong and I would never agree to marry my younger sister to him at that time."

Hu Sanniang looked outside and saw a group of people running happily in the yard, saying, "It's good that they have achieved their goal now, but how is Your Majesty going to marry Qiongying off?"

Lu Bu sat there in deep thought, tapping the table with his fingers: "Qiongying has been in my house for a long time. Although we are nominally master and apprentice, I am actually raising her as my daughter. When she gets married, she should be married with the ceremony of a county lady."

"But the county princess is the daughter of the prince." Yelu Daribo frowned and said, "Your Majesty..."

Lu Bu looked at her and said, "At home, I call you Langjun."

Tianshou was silent for a moment, then raised his lips and said, "My dear, you have already ascended the throne and become the emperor. Is it inappropriate to use the county lady?"

"I didn't say to follow the Liao and Song systems." Lu Bu waved his hand, then picked up a piece of cake and put it in his mouth. He chewed it twice and swallowed it before saying, "I intend to change the system. The names of the current military states are very complicated and are not as simple and clear as the county system. It's a good opportunity to change it during their wedding. This way, it will be easier to distinguish between domestic and foreign countries."

"This is a matter of state affairs, so we should not interfere." The four girls looked at each other, and Wu Qing asked curiously, "What title will you give Qiongying?"

The hand that was reaching for the cake stopped, then he slowly picked it up, put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly. After a while, he exhaled and said, "How is the Princess of Pingnan County?"

"Ping...Nan..." Yelu Dalibo repeated softly, looking at Lu Bu with a complicated look in his eyes: "My dear, you really have great ambitions."

Lu Bu raised his eyebrows and looked at her. He just remembered that the first place that was captured when he came to Liaodong was the seat of Zhenhai Prefecture, Pingnan County. How did it relate to his ambition?

"When the Liao Dynasty was first established, it also wanted to conquer the south and pacify the world. Unfortunately, Jingzong, Shengzong and Empress Dowager Chengtian fought for more than 20 years but failed to achieve their goal. Instead, they signed the Treaty of Tanyuan with the Song people. After that, no one dared to start a war for nearly 200 years." Yelu Daribo looked at him with some admiration: "Although you only control Tokyo and Shangjing now, you have such a grand ambition. This is what a monarch should do."

"Ah... um... um! That's right!" Lu Bu opened his mouth, looked at the bright eyes of the girl opposite him, thought for a while and then closed his mouth again. Now he was at the northernmost end, so he was fighting southward anyway. It was a misunderstanding, and at worst he could just fight back. It was not like he had never fought against the Song army before.

With some thoughts running through his mind, Lu Bu talked to the four women.

In less than an hour, Yang Zaixing hurried back from the military camp outside the city, and that evening, he held a family dinner in the harem.

In the next few days, just as Lu Bu had said before, he first summoned Yang Bangyi to the palace to discuss Yang Zaixing's marriage with him. When the Liaoyang magistrate heard that Lu Bu was willing to personally preside over his son's marriage, he naturally had no objection.

Lu Bu possessed two of the following: Heaven, Earth, the Emperor, Parents and Teacher. In his opinion, he could naturally make the decision for Yang Zaixing.

Late summer.

The court meeting was held again, and the officials of the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of War, and Ministry of Revenue wrote to request a change to a two-level system of prefectures and counties, and also advised that the current Dongjing Dao be divided into Liaodong, Liaoxi, and Liaobei to govern the entire region. Liaoyang Prefecture was the seat of Liaoxi Prefecture, and it governed Yanyuan, Jian'an, Xin'an, Yongning, Laisu, Desheng, Pingnan, Guide, Lejiao, and Changqing counties.

Liubin Prefecture was the seat of Liaodong County, and under its jurisdiction were Huinong, Laiyuan, Kaiyuan, Baozhou, Huandu, Shenxiang, Qishui, Wuer, Yuelidu, and Penlinu counties.

Huanglongfu was the seat of Liaobei County, and it administered Tongyuan, Liuhe, Xianping, Huining, Huntong, Chuhedian and other counties.

The Shangjing area will be divided up after it is completely taken over. Now only Linhuang Prefecture is the seat of Youbeiping, and the former Huizhou, Longhuazhou, Yongzhou and other old areas are all under its jurisdiction.

Everyone in the court naturally knew that the three people's memorial was instigated by Lu Bu, and they also felt that the new dynasty should be different from the previous Liao and Song dynasties, so they naturally agreed, and thus the reform policy was implemented downward.

"His Majesty!"

Yang Pu, who was among the civil officials, saw this matter being carried out, and immediately stepped out: "I think that a country cannot be without a monarch, and a monarch cannot be without a queen. Now that the country has just been established, the people look up to it. Although the affairs of the court have been wisely decided by Your Majesty, the matter of establishing a queen is related to the ancestral temple, the country, and the long-term peace and stability of the world, and is particularly important."

Lu Bu frowned.

Yang Pu paused, his eyes swept over the ministers, and his tone became more serious: "Your Majesty is now the ruler of a country. If you have not appointed a queen and have not established the foundation of your country, this may not be a long-term strategy. I ask Your Majesty to choose a queen as soon as possible. If the harem has a master, there will be harmony inside and outside. If the queen is virtuous, the people will be at peace."

He tapped the dragon chair gently, and the figure sitting there shook his head: "I know what Yang Aiqing said, but the country is just established now, and many things are imminent. The affairs of the harem are not that urgent. This matter can be discussed later."

"In this case, I ask Your Majesty to confer titles on the concubines. You must make sure that your reputation is correct so that your words will flow smoothly. There are four former concubines in the harem who can be conferred the title of concubines."

"Approved." Lu Bu nodded: "I will issue an edict to announce it later."

Yang Pu nodded: "In that case, I have one more thing to say. Our dynasty has just been established, but the countries around us are unknown. We should send envoys to communicate with the four directions to spread your majesty's reputation."

"Submit this matter to the Ministry of Rites, and come up with a charter as soon as possible."

"I obey your command." Then he took two steps back and indicated that he had finished speaking.

Lu Bu nodded and looked at the figures on both sides of the steps. Almost all of them were old people in recent years. The only new faces were Lu Yanlun and a few others. He thought for a while and said, "Now the court is in a state of disrepair and the various departments are a little short of manpower. I think we can hold an imperial examination next spring to recruit some talents for my use."

He looked at Yang Pu who was retreating and Gao Zhen who was standing: "Lord Yang, Lord Gao."

"I am here." x2
Two figures walked out.

"You two have participated in the imperial examinations in your early years and have experience. This time, you two will host the imperial examinations. From now on, it will continue as usual, every three years."

"According to the order."

Lu Bu nodded and looked down. The eunuch beside him saw this and shouted, "Dismiss the court."

……

It is almost the beginning of autumn, the weather is getting hotter, and the sounds of various insects fill our ears.

Also reaching the ears of the world was the news that the King of Qi in the northern state of Qi had ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor. Through the mouths of spies from the Youshi Mansion, Qiao Lie spread the news to almost everyone in Qi, and even to Zhongjing and Nanjing in Liao.

There was no need for Liaodong to deliberately publicize what the King of Qi was like and what he had done. The people in this area knew it after three or four years.

Apart from Zhenhai Prefecture in the south, the people in Liaoyang Prefecture were the most supportive. After many disturbances, they finally settled down in Lu Bu's hands. Now there were rumors that the Qi army had forced Yelu Yanhui to move the capital, which further increased the excitement of the people in the Liaodong counties.

After all, ordinary civilians don't have much knowledge, they just estimate the strength based on the land area. According to their thinking, Liao is vast and populous, and they were all Liao subjects before. In their hearts, it is naturally much stronger than Qi. Now, after several battles, their side is as powerful as a rainbow and has swallowed up a lot of Liao's land, which naturally makes the balance in their hearts shift. In addition, many children of families fought in the army and got a lot of land and livestock, so they support the King of Qi to ascend the throne.

The counties and prefectures that surrendered on Shangjing Road were even more delighted. Yelu Yanxi didn't care about the affairs of state, which was none of their business. However, since the fourth year of Tianqing, they had been fighting with the Jin Kingdom in the east every year. The people had long been unable to bear the various corvee labor and taxation, not to mention the defeated soldiers who returned and the court was unable to restrain them, allowing them to plunder people's property, which caused even more complaints.

Later, the State of Qi was added. Not only was Yelu Yanshi defeated in several major battles, but he also recruited soldiers again to fight against Qi. Yelu Yanshi suddenly gained another image of being a warmongerer in the eyes of the people. Naturally, the common people did not know what the idiom meant, but that did not prevent them from understanding its meaning.

Now that Qi had taken over, many families were delighted as they no longer had to perform corvée labor or pay miscellaneous taxes. People who knew about Qi's military merit system promoted it, which naturally attracted a lot of support.

What you cannot get in Liao may be obtained in Qi. This is almost the thinking of poor families or those who think they are brave and strong.

Compared to the joy of the people outside, the women in the palace were also very happy.

"Wu Zhaoyi, these are your clothes and crown, please keep them."

"Hu Jieyu..."

"Su Xiu'e..."

In the rooms of the three women, the eunuchs with hunched bodies presented robes, phoenix crowns, and hand gestures one by one, and then withdrew. Then someone went to Qiu Qiongying's room to read the imperial edict granting her the title of Princess of Pingnan County, which caused a burst of crying.

……

"Yelü Ronghua..."

She picked up the seal she had just carved and looked at it, then put it down and leaned back: "The Emperor Qi seems to like you very much."

"Zhao Zhaoyi..."

"Call me Aunt Zhao. After all, you are the daughter of His Majesty. I am worthy of this title." Seeing her questioning face, Zhao Zhaoyi smiled and said, "Are you wondering why I say this?"

Tianshou, who was sitting nearby, nodded.

"I told you to read more, but you didn't." Zhao Zhaoyi shook her head. "Look at the military merit system and county system promoted by your Majesty, and the titles of concubines given to you and the other four, it must be the system adopted from the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. Ronghua of yours was considered a real 2,000-stone official at that time, comparable to the Da Shangzao among the twenty ranks of nobility."

Yelu Daribo was stunned. "I heard that there is no general in the court who has been awarded the title of Grand Master. If I become the first one now, will it cause criticism?"

"What are you afraid of?" Zhao Zhaorong shook her head. "Your Majesty has not yet conferred titles on her meritorious officials. The generals outside will not care about your title."

The former Liao princess across from her nodded, then looked at her and hesitated to speak. (End of this chapter)