Jiuxi

Chapter 1039 Extra 03 [New Life] (Thanks to the generous reward from Alliance Leader A C_)
The harem, Yiku Palace.

This is the imperial concubine's bedroom.

Lu Chen leaned on the couch by the window in the bedroom, enjoying Wang Chulong's gentle pressure, his mind still thinking about his meeting with Xue Nanting and Qin Zheng the day before yesterday.

Lu Chen actually considered for a long time how to place these two old ministers of the previous dynasty.

In the past two years, as the country changed hands, since Queen Mother Ning clearly and firmly expressed her attitude in advance, Xue Nanting and Qin Zheng naturally did not cause any trouble and bring unexpected trouble to Lu Chen. Therefore, even if it was to maintain a stable situation in the court and the country, Lu Chen would not deliberately target them.

What's more, these two people helped Lu Chen a lot in the past, and never hindered the border army later. It is reasonable for Lu Chen to give them a happy ending.

The problem is that they haven't done anything, but that doesn't mean they don't have the ability to do anything.

Xue Nanting had been the prime minister for more than ten years, and Qin Zheng was the absolute ruler of the Textile Bureau. They had a large number of students and old friends, many of whom were loyal to the Li royal family. Perhaps these two people had no intention of causing trouble again, but their influence might be used by others.

They could neither be killed nor allowed to return home, and accidents were inevitable as the journey was long and difficult. In the end, Lu Chen decided to keep them in the capital and give them the right to observe politics and make suggestions. This would not only win over the former ministers, but also avoid unbearable situations.

And this is just one of the things that is not particularly important among Lu Chen’s daily affairs.

The further deepening of military system reform, the continued implementation of the new policy, the observation and screening of more than 2,000 officials in the capital, the appointment and selection of officials at all levels in Nanzhili and 23 provinces, all these things are so complicated. If Lu Chen did not have a good body with a solid foundation, it would have been difficult for him to persist day after day.

"Your Majesty, the affairs of state are arduous and we should proceed step by step."

Wang Chulong's eyes were filled with heartache, and she gently stroked Lu Chen with her bare hands, trying to smooth out the wrinkles between his brows.

Lu Chen smiled slightly, took her soft hand, snuggled in her soft bosom, and whispered: "I know it can't be rushed. Governing a big country is like cooking a small fish. It's just that many government affairs need to be carried out and promoted at the same time. Not only do I have to consider the difficulty of the matter itself, but I also have to pay attention to the situation of the officials below. It's like countless threads are placed in front of me, entangled and mixed with each other. I have to accurately distinguish the priorities and make various plans as far as possible in advance. How can I have free time like this?"

With Wang Chulong's vision and talent, she felt a headache for her husband just by listening to it.

Seeing that she was hesitant to speak, Lu Chen asked, "How about you help me figure it out?"

Wang Chulong shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, the harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs. This rule cannot be broken."

"Rules cannot be broken, but there are always exceptions. For example, Queen Mother Ning... did a very good job in those years and laid a good foundation for the current upward trend of Daqin."

Lu Chen did not notice Wang Chulong's slightly strange expression when he mentioned Ning Shuwan, and continued, "Besides, you and I chatting privately, how can this be considered as meddling in government affairs? How much effort have you put in for me, the Lu family, and even the Northern Expedition over the years? Others may not know, how could I not know? You are full of talent, if you were not a girl, you could have been appointed prime minister, so you certainly can't waste your time in the palace."

Wang Chulong couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth.

Lu Chen adjusted his posture slightly, looked up at her rosy face and said, "The most important thing is that I believe in you."

Wang Chulong was a little overwhelmed by this combination of punches, and asked softly, "Your Majesty, what is troubling you?"

Lu Chen said slowly: "Xue Nanting and Qin Zheng will definitely understand my good intentions. Since they are willing to serve as academicians of the Guanzheng Palace, with their character and integrity, they will definitely not make any mistakes in the short term. Now there are two people who are not as good as Xue Qin in terms of status and qualifications. It seems okay to leave them completely idle, but they are indeed more capable, so I am a little hesitant."

"Your Majesty, are you referring to Su Yunqing and Yin Shangfu?"

After receiving Lu Chen's affirmative answer, Wang Chulong fell into a brief moment of contemplation, and then said, "There is no place for them in the Weaving Bureau now."

This is a very real problem.

After Lu Chen ascended the throne, for the sake of Ning Shuwan and Qin Zheng, he did not carry out a rough and direct purge of the Weaving Bureau, but a major reshuffle was inevitable.

The current director of the Weaving Bureau is Nan Yi, and the three supervisors are Tan Zheng, Qi Lianfu and Ning Bugui. As for Jiang Sheng and Qu Zhong, they have been assigned to other positions. In simple terms, it is Lu Chen's order to select elites to form another team.

Considering the long-term, Lu Chen would not give the Weaving Bureau too much power, let alone have only this one spy.

He said calmly, "Looking back, Su Yunqing and Yin Shangfu, especially the former, have never done anything bad to me. On the contrary, they have done a lot for me in those years. I have no hatred towards them. I can even employ Qin Zheng, not to mention that they only obey Qin Zheng out of loyalty..."

Wang Chulong said gently: "But there will always be a thorn in your heart, Your Majesty."

Lu Chen sighed and said, "I know that no one is perfect, but it is also true as you said. This kind of thing is like a crack in a mirror. Once it happens, it is difficult to pretend that nothing happened."

"I do have an immature idea."

Wang Chulong put his arm around Lu Chen's shoulders and said slowly, "Your Majesty has persuaded the Jinglian people to go west, and Qing Yu Zhongwang is a hostage, but it is difficult to predict what changes will happen in the Far West in the future. Why not let Su Yunqing and Yin Shangfu take some people to the west, and the court will take care of their families. This will not only give full play to their talents so that they can understand the situation in the Far West in a timely manner, but also avoid some troubles if they stay in the country, such as some backbones of the original Weaving Bureau secretly colluding."

Lu Chen asked: "Do you think Qin Zheng will agree?"

"meeting."

Wang Chulong said firmly: "If he refuses to agree, Your Majesty will have no choice but to purge the original Weaving Bureau. There is no third solution to this matter."

After a moment of contemplation, Lu Chen nodded slightly and said, "Okay."

Wang Chulong smiled sweetly.

After finishing the business, Lu Chen moved closer to Wang Chulong.

Although they were an old couple, as the imperial concubine now and in broad daylight, Wang Chulong still glanced outside nervously, then said shyly, "I still have something to discuss with Your Majesty."

"Say it, I'm listening."

Lu Chen put his arms around her soft waist.

Wang Chulong finally gave up trying to persuade him. In fact, didn’t she like her husband’s attitude of attachment?
Forget it... Anyway, the palace maids in the Yikun Palace were all trained by her personally, and they won’t do anything rash or reckless.

She pressed Lu Chen's shoulders and said softly, "Your Majesty has been on the throne for more than half a year. Isn't it time to select a concubine?"

"Show girl?"

"Yes, your Majesty's harem currently has only one queen and five concubines, which is really too few. Your Majesty is busy with government affairs and has no time to pay attention to these things, so the Queen asked me to make preparations first. At least four concubines, nine concubines, twenty-seven ladies, and eighty-one wives should be selected first."

"stop--"

Lu Chen couldn't help but laugh and said, "That must be more than a hundred people."

Wang Chulong blinked and said, "From ancient times to the present, the bloodline of the royal family must be flourishing."

Lu Chen shook his head and said, "Having more children is indeed a big deal, but we must also be careful not to overdo it. Now I already have nine sons and two daughters, and Gu Wan'er was diagnosed with pregnancy a few days ago. To be honest, I have quite a few children. If I add a hundred more women to the palace as you said, how many more princes and princesses will there be in the future? Even if the business my father built can make money, I have more important uses for this money. In addition, in a few years, I will reorganize the business and merge it into the court department. I can't use all of it to support the royal family."

Wang Chulong did not say much about the important affairs of the court. He just frowned slightly and said, "Your Majesty, the matter of the concubine has far-reaching implications. This is not only your private matter, but will also affect the relationship between the royal family and the officials and people of Daqin."

Lu Chen understood this truth.

Throughout history, marriage has always been one of the magic weapons to consolidate power, and the emperor is no exception.

The entry of concubines into the palace means that the royal family will have many more in-laws. This has both advantages and disadvantages. It can help the royal family better control the overall situation in the world, but there is also the possibility of fighting and strife among various external relatives.

But no matter what, it is undoubtedly a fantasy for Lu Chen to maintain the current situation of one queen and five concubines forever.

"Let's discuss this matter later."

Lu Chen was not pretending in front of Wang Chulong, but he knew that the more women he had, the more trouble he would have. Moreover, the concubines who came after him were not like Lin Xi and the others. They had never experienced ups and downs with him. In their eyes, there was only one Qin emperor whose civil and military achievements were destined to go down in history. They only thought about how to get more of his favor, so all kinds of intrigues were inevitable.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen said with a sigh: "The selection can be done, and this matter is left to you to decide. But I have said in advance that the harem can only maintain a scale of one queen, one imperial concubine, two concubines, four concubines and nine concubines. There is no need for more. I can't take care of it. Why should I let those young women suffer in the palace?"

In short, he only gave eleven places to enter the palace for the time being.

Lu Chen is the founding emperor of the Qin Dynasty, who is of noble appearance and handsomeness, and he is only in his early thirties. There are probably countless young and beautiful women in the world who secretly admire him. Once the news of the upcoming beauty contest spreads in the palace, it is very likely that a "bloodbath" will be set off in the court and the country in another sense.

Wang Chulong knew very well that her husband genuinely did not want to take in too many people.

She was born into the most aristocratic family in Jiangbei, so she knew that it was not uncommon for powerful men in wealthy families to have dozens of concubines. However, in all these years, Lu Chen did not even look at the beauties who came to his door except for the six of them, let alone allow them to enter.

only……

Wang Chulong felt a headache when she thought about the aura that Lu Chen had on him when he returned from leaving the palace a few months ago.

During the period of the transfer of imperial power, she had met Empress Dowager Ning several times. She admired this intelligent and wise woman very much and admitted that she had an extraordinary appeal to men in terms of her appearance, figure, temperament and status.

The problem lies in her identity.

First of all, it is impossible for Empress Dowager Ning to enter the palace again. Secondly, she cannot stay in the capital. After all, rumors are terrible and can destroy people. Such erotic rumors are the easiest to spread.

What made Wang Chulong feel a little relieved was that Lu Chen did not do anything too outrageous. In the several months from that time to now, he had only been to Linquan Palace once.

But what about the future?
If there is an unexpected situation of secret pregnancy, how will it end?

So she took the initiative to bring up the talent show today, perhaps with the intention of getting Lu Chen to settle down, but it was inconvenient to tell her husband about it.

I hope this matter can be properly resolved.

When the couple was being affectionate, Jinshu's respectful voice came from outside. Wang Chulong quickly straightened her clothes and asked Lu Chen to sit down half shyly and half annoyedly.

Soon, Jinshu walked in hand in hand with the four-year-old Fourth Prince Lu Jing. "Greetings to the Emperor and the Empress."

Lu Jing was born extremely beautiful, probably because he had inherited the perfect qualities of his parents. Moreover, under Wang Chulong's guidance, he was well-mannered even though he was young.

"stand up."

Lu Chen smiled and asked, "Did you go to play with your third brother just now?"

Lu Jing answered crisply: "Yes, Father."

His third brother was the third prince Lu Heng born to Luo Jiujiu, who was only nineteen days older than him. The fifth prince Lu Jue born to Song Pei was born on the same day as him, but two hours later.

Lu Chen liked this well-behaved son very much, but he was still not as good as his sister who was born of the same mother, so after chatting for a while, he asked Wang Chulong: "Is Changle in Kunning Palace?"

Wang Chulong nodded and said, "Yes, she and the Crown Prince practice the Shouzheng Jue with the Queen every other day."

Among all of Lu Chen's current children, except Lu Jiusi who was directly named the crown prince, only the eldest daughter Lu Xinyi was named Princess Changle. The other children do not have any titles yet because they are not yet five years old.

The title of Princess Changle shows how much Lu Chen loves his eldest daughter.

"I'll go take a look and I'll talk to you in the evening."

Lu Chen stood up with a smile, and Wang Chulong quickly took Lu Jing and the female officials to see him outside.

The Yiku Palace was not far from the Queen's bedroom, the Kunning Palace. Lu Chen did not mobilize a large number of troops to carry the imperial sedan chair. He just walked there slowly and leisurely accompanied by a few eunuchs.

In the imagination of most people, the Kunning Palace where the queen, the master of the six palaces, resides must be solemn and dignified, and would not tolerate any violation of the rules.

In fact it is not the case.

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, many people would not have believed that a piece of open space had been cleared behind the Kunning Palace and renovated into a small parade ground.

In the cold winter sunshine, the eight-year-old Crown Prince Lu Jiusi and Princess Changle Lu Xinyi stood in the center of the parade ground. Not far in front of them was the Queen of Qin, Lin Xi, who was dressed in casual clothes. There were only a few palace servants standing outside the parade ground.

"Therefore, I live in seclusion in remote places, conceal my appearance, stop my eyes from wanting to see, get rid of the colors that damage my vision, stop my ears from thinking about music, stay away from distracting sounds, cleanse my mind, keep my mind focused, embrace the one, concentrate my energy and be gentle, calm and peaceful..."

Lu Chen signaled the palace maids not to salute. He stood at the edge of the training ground, looking at Lin Xi's silhouette, and quietly listened to her teaching her two children the art of upholding the righteousness.

Noticing their father's arrival, Lu Jiusi and Lu Xinyi had slightly different reactions.

The former reported to Lin Xi without hesitation, then took a few steps forward, bowed calmly and said, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you, Father."

Lu Xinyi smiled sweetly at Lu Chen and said naively, "Father, you are here!"

Having lived two lives, Lu Chen certainly knows the importance of educating children. He also understands that many children have various problems due to their parents' inappropriate education methods. So no matter how busy he is, he will try his best to take time out every day to chat with Lu Jiusi. He will neither indulge his temper nor give him a certain amount of respect.

As for Lu Xinyi, he was more concerned about protecting her innocent and righteous nature. He believed that Wang Chulong could definitely teach his daughter how to be a good person.

"Keep practicing, don't be lazy."

Lu Chen's words were mainly directed at Lu Xinyi, who was looking at him expectantly and felt that practicing was a bit hard. He then said to Lu Jiusi, "It is important to polish your foundation, but you don't have to rush for success. This requires perseverance and hard work, and it can't be accomplished overnight. Just take your time."

Lu Jiusi's face showed admiration and intimacy, and he cupped his hands and said, "I will follow my father's teachings."

The two continued to practice diligently. Lu Chen and Lin Xi, who was smiling, walked beside them and said softly, "Just now Chu Long suddenly mentioned the matter of Xiu Nu to me. I felt that there seemed to be some deep meaning in it."

Lin Xi said meaningfully: "This is my suggestion."

As soon as he heard her words, Lu Chen realized that there must be something mysterious. After thinking carefully for a while, he turned his head to look into the eyes of his senior sister and laughed, "So you all know it."

"You... I really don't know how to describe you."

Lin Xi did not hide anything and said frankly: "You have never been a person who covets beauty, otherwise there wouldn't be only six of us in the family all these years. Who would have thought that you would do such a thing? I naturally know that you didn't do that because you despise us for being old and ugly. Most likely, it's because you respect her and pity her at the same time, so you couldn't control yourself for a moment."

What is telepathy?
Lin Xi had little idea of ​​the details of Lu Chen and Ning Shuwan's relationship, but she could guess most of his state of mind.

Lu Chen did not argue and said truthfully: "That is indeed the case, but the royal palace and Li clan temple in Queshan County are about to be completed, and those people in Linquan Palace will set off before the New Year."

Lin Xi thought for a moment and said, "Why not keep her here? The former Qi imperial mausoleum is in the western suburbs of the capital, and we can't move it to Qingzhou. She can live in the western suburbs in the name of praying for blessings. The officials in the court will definitely not object. After all, even Prime Minister Xu is considered an old minister of the former Qi."

Lu Chen looked at her with a little uneasiness.

Lin Xi smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm not testing you."

"That is?"

"You know that in the past six months since you ascended the throne, you have smiled less and less."

Lin Xi stopped and turned to look at him, saying softly, "My husband, there are fewer and fewer things we can do to help you. As long as it can make you happy, what does this little thing matter? Do you still remember what I said back then, that if it could make you feel more relaxed, I could even ignore Qing Yu Huai Jin, let alone a poor woman like Queen Mother Ning?"

Lu Chen stared at her eyes and eyebrows which showed no trace of time, and his heart couldn't help but soften.

Lin Xi coughed lightly, turned around and said, "The children are all here."

Lu Chen smiled, without making any move that would make her uncomfortable, and said slowly: "She definitely doesn't want to stay. Any way is just an excuse to deceive herself. She doesn't even want a child, so how could she be willing to stay in the capital and cause criticism? It's nothing, Qingzhou is not far from the capital, there is always a way to see her if she wants to."

"Pooh."

Hearing his sudden reckless words, Lin Xi couldn't help but spit.

Lu Chen shamelessly held her hand, and this time Lin Xi still did not shake it off. Just like she did before in Baotai Mountain, she looked at the clear sky with a smile on her face.

Just like before.

On the training ground in the distance, Crown Prince Lu Jiusi looked at the backs of his parents standing side by side, and a warm smile quietly emerged on his usually calm and reserved face.

Lu Xinyi next to him followed his gaze, and her eyes, which seemed to be able to speak, suddenly curved into crescents.

……

To the northwest of Daqin, the former Dai Kingdom no longer exists.

After crossing the 300-mile sea of ​​grass, walking through the thousands of miles of Gobi Desert, and passing through the extremely dangerous Devil Mountain, and continuing westward through more than ten small countries, it is the far west place that Lu Chen mentioned, which is extremely far away from the Great Qin.

But those dozen small countries have now become history.

The situation in the Far West has also undergone tremendous changes in the past two years.

The mysterious tribe coming from the far east worked hard to overcome all obstacles and not only successfully gained a foothold here, but also relied on their elite cavalry and magical firearms to establish an iron-blooded reputation in a very short period of time, gradually forming a pattern of three powers coexisting.

On one side was the Xining Dynasty, which had a vast territory and a history of more than 200 years.

On one side is the Tria Khanate, which has been rising steadily in the past twenty years and whose current ruler, Arab, is almost invincible.

The last one is a mysterious tribe that suddenly appeared from the east more than a year ago. They attacked and conquered in the name of Jingguo in a very short time and quickly possessed a piece of territory in the far west. Although they are currently the weakest among the three forces, they are like hungry wolves, desperately grabbing every inch of land, and even the Xining Dynasty and the Tria Khanate have to avoid them.

The capital of Jing State was built on the shore of Glen Mountain. It was originally the royal capital of the Sari Khanate, and is now renamed Xiayou City.

In the name of Xiayou Mountain, it was the place where the Jinglian people rose to prominence a hundred years ago.

The imperial palace in Xiayou City naturally cannot be compared with the imperial city of Dadu, but every Jinglian person will look at this simple palace with respect.

When they set out on their journey westward, many of them were actually filled with anxiety, confusion and resentment, because in their view this was a journey with no chance of life or death, and it would be better for them to stay in the Wulang grassland and fight the Qi people to the end.

But now they have a new home, and in this strange land they have once again found the feeling of dominating the world many years ago. How can they not respect the queen who lives in the palace?

The sun shone on the stacked palaces. On a high platform somewhere in the palace, a thin but strong figure stood.

She bathed in the warm afternoon sun, looking quietly towards the distant east.

Until the crying of a baby woke her up from her thoughts.

She turned around and looked at the maid who was holding the baby carefully. She stepped forward and took it from the maid. Miraculously, the baby's crying stopped immediately.

"I hope you can become a man of integrity when you grow up."

Qing Yu Huaijin looked at her one-year-old son, and a hint of tenderness finally appeared on her stern face.

"Like him."

(End of this chapter)