Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 313 Queen's Birthday
After Lu Bu retreated, he temporarily returned to Wuchao.

This time, not only did he fail to defeat the enemy, but he was forced to flee. This was a big blow to him, and he was so angry that he didn't eat or drink at night and just kept cursing.

"Damn Cao Ren, how shameless!"

As Lu Bu allowed the medical officer to bandage his wounds, he cursed, "After I have rested for a day and regrouped, I will launch another attack. I will definitely break through that crappy army formation and capture and kill Cao Ren!"

Lu Bu's face was full of resentment.

He felt so frustrated after fighting today. The Cao army on the opposite side was so unsportsmanlike. He had never suffered such humiliation in his life.

Although it was common for him to fight against the enemy with a small force, it was too shameless to send out seven generals to attack him at once.

He really couldn't swallow this!

Sima Yi on the side shook his head and said, "It seems that Cao's tricks have stopped here. He even arranged eight generals to guard Guandu. However, Cao Ren's army formation is unpredictable. It is obviously impossible to break through it by force."

"Lord Wen should calm down a bit. Even if we launch another attack tomorrow, the final result will be failure."

He watched the entire battle from outside the formation today.

I have to say that the formation on the opposite side is really weird.

If it was someone else instead of Lu Bu who charged into the battle formation today, he would undoubtedly have been killed in the enemy's formation and would have had no chance of escaping.

The key to military strategy is to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop. This momentum cannot be dissipated or delayed for too long, otherwise the morale will drop and the enemy will be slowly worn down to death.

Therefore, the bravery of the leading general is particularly important.

The other side used seven generals to block the enemy and curbed Lu Bu's momentum, which happened to target the weakness of the military situation.

"What about that?"

Although Lu Bu was angry, he did not lose his mind. Hearing this, he asked anxiously, "We can't be stopped here forever. Military Advisor, do you have any plan to break the formation?"

He had no use for force, and when he needed to use his brain he could only watch helplessly.

"I'm still thinking."

Sima Yi also had a headache and frowned deeply, saying: "This formation has something to do with Qimen Bagua, but Qimen is not my forte."

"Let me think about it carefully for a few days."

Although he figured out some clues, that was just some of them. If he wanted to find a way to break the formation, he would have to continue researching.

Although Lu Bu was unwilling, he had no other choice.

……

Yecheng, Tai'an Palace.

Liu Xie was reading the memorials presented by his ministers. His face was as gloomy as water, and there seemed to be thunder hidden in it, which was not yet expressed.

There was silence in the hall.

All the ministers felt the pressure from the emperor above them. They bowed their heads and dared not speak.

"Humph!"

After a long time, Liu Xie slammed the memorial on the table, glanced at the ministers in the hall, and sneered: "A bunch of high-ranking aristocratic families are actually competing with refugees for profits!"

"It turns out that my strategy of opening up the wasteland is not for refugees, but for you!"

"You guys really opened my eyes!"

Liu Xie was full of anger at this time.

The policy of opening up new land was originally a great thing that benefited the country and the people, but when it was actually implemented, it was not the case.

According to the information reported in the memorials, after the policy was implemented, those prominent families, wealthy businessmen and gentry mobilized their slaves and tenants to go and open up wasteland, and even paid people to do so.

With this advantage, they seized a large amount of fertile and high-quality land, while the real refugees and common people only got some barren land.

They were even forced to go to faraway places to open up new land.

In other words, only a small part of the benefits of this land reclamation policy fell on the common people, while most of it was taken by those aristocratic families!
Faced with Liu Xie's anger, all the ministers kept silent, looking down on him, pretending not to hear anything.

"What a group of nobles, what a bunch of dignitaries!"

Seeing no one answered, Liu Xie snorted coldly, turned away his sleeves, and strode out of Tai'an Palace.

The ministers looked at each other, and there was no trace of the previous silence in their eyes.

So what if I compete with the people for profit?
Who hasn't done that for hundreds of years?

Even if it brings down the Emperor's wrath, so what!

Shortly after Liu Xie returned to the Xuanshi, Guo Jia, Jia Xu, Zhuge Liang and Yuan Xi also came one after another and walked into the Xuanshi with their bodies hunched.

"boom!"

Back in the Xuanshi, Liu Xie could no longer suppress his anger. He slammed his hand on the table and said through gritted teeth: "You are a borer, a borer of the country!"

"I used the strategy of opening up wasteland to stabilize the people and provide them with land to cultivate, but they used it as a tool to hoard land and seek profits!"

"They are so brave!"

Just now at the court meeting, he wanted to curse directly, but the people below were all pretending to be deaf and dumb, and no one responded to him, so he couldn't vent his anger.

Although the land reclamation policy later stipulated the maximum amount of land that a person could reclaim, the wealthy and powerful families had many slaves, tenants, and large family populations, which could not restrict them at all.

If it weren't for today's memorial, he wouldn't have known that such a thing had happened, and he couldn't believe that those noble families dared to do such a trick under his nose.

Aristocratic families are the greatest helper to imperial power, but also the greatest enemy of imperial power. He had only learned about it from books before, but today he felt it truly.

Yuan Xi's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and he said sternly: "Your Majesty, since they are so ignorant, they should be taught a lesson!"

"Leave this matter to me. I will definitely clean up all those noble families who are fighting for land with the common people, and make them dare not do so again!"

He was well aware of the emperor's emphasis on the policy of land reclamation.

Since those aristocratic families dare to stretch out their hands to compete for interests at this time, they must be prepared to have their hands chopped off!
"No!"

Guo Jia's face tensed up, and he was the first to stand up and dissuade Liu Xie. He bowed to Liu Xie with a serious expression and said, "Your Majesty, you must not use force to force them to submit."

"This is only a temporary solution, not a fundamental solution. Not only will it not stop the situation of noble families hoarding and annexing land, it will also lead to complaints, which will do more harm than good!"

Those aristocratic families were hoarding land completely within the rules, and the land they obtained was actually obtained through land reclamation, not stolen. They also handed over part of the land to the court in accordance with the policy. Everything was legal and in compliance with the regulations.

Now, we are using force to force others to stop us just because they have hoarded too much land. This is breaking the rules on your own initiative.

"Feng Xiao is right."

Jia Xu also nodded and agreed: "At present, the major families mainly circumvent the restrictions of the land reclamation policy by registering the land obtained from the reclamation under the name of the clan members' tenant farmers."

"Although this move is shameless, it is in line with the rules. If we want to change the current situation, we can only start with policies, not using force."

Liu Xie's face was gloomy. He was of course aware of what Jia Xu and Guo Jia had said. Although the actions of the major families made him very angry, he had no intention of using force.

In court politics, force is the last resort.

Not everything can be turned over. But it is not easy to solve this problem without turning over the table, as there are too many things involved.

Liu Xie knew that there was a way to solve the problem of aristocratic families hoarding land - that was to distribute the tax according to the amount of land.

But this move involves political reform, which will inevitably shake the interests of the entire gentry class, and he cannot do this even if he is the emperor.

Even a powerful and centralized emperor like Yongzheng, who ruled a unified dynasty, encountered numerous difficulties and nearly failed when implementing this law. What about him, who had not yet unified the world?
He is not capable of carrying out political reforms now, and using the method of allocating land tax to solve the problem of land reclamation is undoubtedly an overkill. Revealing his cards too early will make him lose the support of the entire aristocratic class, which will not be worth the loss.

Eat your meal one bite at a time and don't take big steps.

Putting all these thoughts aside, Liu Xie then said to Jia Xu, Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang: "Wenhe, Fengxiao, Kongming, each of you come up with a solution after you go back."

"We must find a feasible solution within a month. This matter cannot be delayed any further."

The three of them bowed and accepted the order.

After discussing this matter, Zhuge Liang and others began to handle government affairs in the Xuan Room and did not leave until it was completely dark.

However, Liu Xie still did not return to his bedroom to rest, but stayed to review the government affairs handled by Zhuge Liang and others to see if there was anything inappropriate and what he needed to learn.

After all, he asked his ministers to help with government affairs just to relieve his own pressure. If they don't even look at the memorials, then what's the difference between him and a lazy and incompetent monarch?
"Your Majesty, the noble lady Fu requests to see you outside the palace."

Just as Liu Xie was concentrating on dealing with memorials, an eunuch walked into the Xuanshi Hall and reported to him.

Liu Xie paused for a moment while flipping through the memorials, raised his eyes to look at the eunuch, frowned and asked, "Noble Fu?"

Seeing that the emperor did not remember, the eunuch reminded him, "Your Majesty, she is the empress's sister, the daughter of Princess Yang'an, and the second daughter of the father-in-law."

Liu Xie recalled it carefully and then remembered it.

Half a year ago, shortly after Empress Fu arrived at the palace, her mother, Princess Yang'an, requested to send her second daughter to his harem as a concubine.

At that time, he agreed to this matter in order to appease the Fu family. However, except for visiting Concubine Fu once on the night she entered the palace, he never went there again.

"Let her in."

Liu Xie relaxed his brows and said calmly.

The eunuch withdrew respectfully.

Soon, Fu Guiren walked into the hall under the guidance of the eunuchs, and saluted Liu Xie a little stiffly, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

"No gift."

Liu Xie put down the memorial in his hand, smiled at her and said, "I am still dealing with government affairs. My beloved concubine came here to see me. I wonder what it is for?"

Although he didn't have much contact with Fu Guiren, he had the impression that she was a very well-behaved woman, and this was the first time in such a long time that she had taken the initiative to ask to see him.

"Reply to Your Majesty."

Noble Lady Fu said cautiously, "Today is the Queen's birthday. I want to go visit her and bring her some snacks. I hope Your Majesty will grant your permission."

Since entering the palace, Empress Fu has been recuperating in the Pepper Room.

Without the emperor's permission, even Fu Wan and Princess Yang'an could not ask for an audience.

"The Queen's birthday?"

Hearing Fu Guiren's request, Liu Xie raised his eyebrows, then smiled and said, "I am too busy with government affairs to have neglected this matter. My beloved concubine, please go and visit on my behalf."

"I will have someone deliver the reward later."

Concubine Fu showed joy on her face and thanked him repeatedly.

Looking at her leaving the Xuanshi, Liu Xie's deep eyes flashed with light, and he stood up and followed her.

……

Jiaofang Hall.

Empress Fu was imprisoned in the Pepper Palace for more than half a year. Although she had good food and clothing, she still lost a lot of weight.

At this moment, she was half lying on the bed, staring at the endless rain outside the window in a daze. It was a long time before she looked away.

"Spring is here again..."

Empress Fu sighed softly, looking listless, with an indelible melancholy between her brows.
Having lived in the palace for so long, she had even forgotten the years.

It was not until she saw the snow outside the window turn into a drizzle that she realized winter had passed and spring had arrived again.

But she still stays in this deep palace.

Although Liu Xie did not kill her, he placed her under house arrest and did not allow her to contact anyone. Even the palace maids and eunuchs who served her were not allowed to talk to her.

Days like this are simply torture.

"Sister!"

A voice full of surprise and concern suddenly came, which made Empress Fu shudder all over. She looked up and then she couldn't help but widen her beautiful eyes.

"Sister? Why are you here?"

Looking at Concubine Fu walking into the bedroom, Empress Fu's face was filled with surprise and disbelief, and she sat up from the bed.

Lady Fu came to sit beside the bed and said with a smile, "Sister, have you forgotten? Today is your birthday, and I came here specially to see you."

Seeing the bright smile on Concubine Fu's face, Empress Fu was stunned at first, then her eyes became moist, and she reached out to hug her and began to cry softly.

"Sister, what's wrong with you? Why are you crying?"

Concubine Fu was a little at a loss. She didn't know why Empress Fu suddenly started crying, and she didn't know how to comfort her.

After a while, Empress Fu slowly stopped crying, wiping her tears and said, "It's okay... Sister is just too happy to see you."

"I didn't expect my sister would remember my birthday."

She was indeed crying with joy. After being imprisoned for such a long time, she was suddenly excited to see her relatives.

"Of course." Concubine Fu smiled and picked up the food box beside her. "This is the cake I made by myself. Sister, please try it."

Empress Fu took it with her hand. She was touched but remembered something. She asked worriedly, "How did you get in? I was... I am recovering from my illness. His Majesty does not allow anyone to see me."

"You didn't sneak in, did you?"

"Of course not." Concubine Fu shook her head and said, "How could I have the courage to do that? It was His Majesty who granted me permission to come and visit you."

"And His Majesty also said that he would send a reward later to celebrate your birthday."

"Sister, His Majesty really cares about you."

There was an undisguised admiration in Concubine Fu's tone. She had not been favored by the emperor even once since she entered the palace, but the emperor was so concerned about Empress Fu.

Hearing this, Empress Fu's eyes became somewhat complicated.

She didn't respond to the conversation. While eating her cakes, she pretended to be indifferent and asked Concubine Fu: "Sister, have you heard any news about the fake emperor of Xu County?"

"How is he...now?"

(End of this chapter)