Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

Chapter 671 The Struggle for the Crown Prince
Outside Huangzhou Prefecture, the city gates were wide open, and civil and military officials of Huangzhou Prefecture lined up on both sides.

The leaders were Ni Wenjun, Zhao Ya, Hu Weiyong, and Chen Xiaohu.

These four should be considered the current leaders of the military and political parties in Huangzhou Prefecture. Ni Wenjun is currently nominally the deputy commander of Huangzhou Prefecture, and is also considered the number one expert in Huangzhou Prefecture besides Chen Jie.

Following closely behind was Zhao Ya. Although Zhao Ya was only the commander of the Xuanwu Legion, which was an incomplete cavalry corps in Huangzhou Prefecture, she also held the titles of the wife of the city lord of Huangzhou Prefecture and the former princess of Daqian County, making her extremely prestigious.

Then there was Hu Weiyong, the administrative chief of Huangzhou Prefecture, who was known as the prime minister and directly governed the civil service group of Huangzhou Prefecture. His power was immense.

Another one is Chen Xiaohu. Chen Xiaohu is also the deputy commander of Huangzhou Prefecture. However, unlike Ni Wenjun, who only holds the nominal position of deputy commander, he also directly commands the elite White Tiger Army.

Therefore, in terms of real power, Chen Xiaohu should be above Ni Wenjun, but in terms of strength and reputation, Ni Wenjun is above Chen Xiaohu.

These four people represented the entire Huangzhou Prefecture group to welcome Chen Jie.

Many more did not come to greet him. The old brothers who followed Chen Jie from Mianshui County were all entrusted with important tasks. Most of those with the surname Chen have been assigned to various military positions. For example, Chen Quan and Chen Tun have been assigned to the militia department and the national defense army.

Chen Quan was the deputy commander of the militia, while Wu Daojun was the commander-in-chief, in charge of 100,000 reserve troops in Huangzhou Prefecture. Chen Tun was transferred to the National Defense Army at this time, serving as the chief instructor of the National Defense Army.

Besides them, the only other person who didn't come today was Zhou Chu, Chen Jie's old friend and the commander-in-chief of the Huangzhou City Defense Army. He was on official business and had gone to Xiangyang City to inspect the city's defenses these past few days, so he couldn't come back for a while. In response, Chen Jie asked him to prioritize national affairs and not rush back, so Zhou Chu didn't rush back either.

Therefore, the welcoming ceremony organized by Huangzhou Prefecture this time only involved these few commanders. As for the lower-level officials, Chen Jie's idea was to save as much as possible. With everything in need of rebuilding, there was no need to cause any trouble.

Because of Chen Jie's arrangement, there weren't many people welcoming him today; a group of people stood here to greet him.

"Commander Ni, you've arrived too."

Chen Xiaohu then approached Ni Wenjun, who nodded and said, "My lord is back. How could I, as the elder brother, not come to greet him?"

"Hehe, Brother Ni is truly a man of great character. By the way, Brother Ni, what about your health?"

"It's all fine now, and my strength has improved even further. I've stabilized at the first level of the Molten God realm."

"Impressive, impressive, Brother Ni, another expert has joined Huangzhou Prefecture."

Ni Wenjun shook his head and said, "What expert? I used to dare to call myself an expert, but recently there are so many strong people, not just Fanfan. Compared to them, I am too weak. How can I be embarrassed to call myself an expert!"

Chen Xiaohu said, "Yes, now all the heroes in the world are rising up. You can't call yourself a master without reaching the third or fourth level of the Fusion God realm. I wonder if our lord has gained anything this time?"

Ni Wenjun said, "Our lord is blessed by Heaven, and all misfortunes will turn into good fortune. There shouldn't be any major problems."

As they were talking, Chen Xiaohu looked at Hu Weiyong and said, "Lord Hu seems to be in much better spirits lately. Could it be that something good has happened?"

Hu Weiyong stroked his beard and said, "Haha, good news, it should be considered a great thing. Today, the Agriculture and Forestry Department under my Ministry of the Interior conducted a survey. Under the jurisdiction of Huangzhou Prefecture, the land reclamation and farming plan of the entire Hubei Circuit has been basically completed. Currently, we have obtained 80 million mu of arable land, which can achieve 10 mu of arable land per household. In addition, with the high-yield grain promoted by our Agriculture and Forestry Department, our Hubei Circuit can feed at least 5 million people."

Five million people!

Upon hearing the number, Chen Xiaohu excitedly asked, "So how many people do we have now?"

Hu Weiyong stroked his beard and said, "According to the statistics from our Ministry of the Interior and the Household Registration Department, the total population of the thirteen prefectures within Huangzhou Prefecture is about 3.1 million."

After listening to this, Chen Xiaohu thought for a moment and said, "In that case, a prefecture would have about 200,000 people, and an average county town would have about 10,000 people?"

Hu Weiyong said, "More or less, but not accurately. The population distribution is not even. For example, some prosperous counties, such as Mianshui, now have a population of nearly 50,000."

In remote and desolate counties, there may only be three to five thousand people.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaohu said, "Three to five thousand people? This is too desolate. Is this still a county in my Huangzhou Prefecture?"

Hu Weiyong said, "Tiger General, you're wrong. Our Huangzhou Prefecture is already considered good. Apart from Hubei Road, it's even more desolate. In the Great Qian Dynasty..."

Hu Weiyong paused here, glanced in the direction of the princess, indicating that he could not say any more.

Chen Xiaohu also realized what was going on and stopped talking. In fact, he could understand most of what Hu Weiyong wanted to say, but since his sister-in-law was a Mulan person, it was indeed inappropriate to say that Mulan people were cruel.

After all, the Mulan people have been governing the world in chaos for years, and they frequently carry out massacres and suppressions. It would be strange if their population could flourish.

"But there's no need to worry. According to our household registration office's statistics, the number of newborns in Huangzhou Prefecture has been increasing year by year for the past five years. At this rate, we can reach five million people within the next year or two."

"So fast?"

Chen Xiaohu asked Hu Weiyong in surprise, and Hu Weiyong replied, "Of course it will be quick. The people have been allocated land, so naturally they need people to cultivate it. Having more children means having more labor, which is a profitable business. In addition, Hubei Road is currently the most stable among many forces, so there are quite a few people who have fled to Hubei Road."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaohu said, "If too many people flee, won't that squeeze the living space of us ordinary people?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Weiyong glanced at Chen Xiaohu and said, "Commander Hu, with a population of three million, we only have one Hubei Road. Are we really going to only have one Hubei Road with a population of five million?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaohu's eyes lit up and he said, "Oh, that makes sense, that makes sense."

Chen Xiaohu was very excited, while on the other side, Ni Wenjun said to the princess, "Xiaohu didn't mean to say these things, you don't need to take them to heart."

The princess said, "Xiao Hu is right. The governance of the Great Qian Dynasty is indeed a mess, which is detrimental to the people. Xiao Hu and Prime Minister Hu are not wrong."

Hearing this, Ni Wenjun looked at the princess and said, "Sister-in-law is truly extraordinary!"

The princess said, "Hehe, in your Han Chinese terms, I am a woman who follows her husband wherever he goes. My husband is a hero who resisted the Qianlong Emperor, so I support him in resisting the Qianlong Emperor."

Ni Wenjun said, "What the princess said is true. In fact, the Mulan people and our Han people are not incapable of living in peace. They just need a better emperor."

The princess said, "Brother is absolutely right. I believe my husband is the best emperor."

Ni Wenjun nodded slightly: "If it's 94, it should be able to be balanced."

As they were talking, someone shouted, "Look, the lord is back!" Everyone looked up and saw a group of people approaching from not far away. It was the escort team sent by Hankou Gang. Although with Chen Jie's strength, this so-called escort was just a joke, the necessary ceremony still had to be performed.

Five hundred elite cavalry escorted Chen Jie. Chen Jie rode a chestnut horse in front of the elite cavalry, wearing a black robe embroidered with dark gold dragon patterns, which Su Yunjin had sewn for him before he left.

At this moment, the princess led her entourage slowly to the front of Huangzhou Prefecture. Upon seeing this scene, the princess couldn't wait any longer and immediately spurred her horse to go and greet them. Chen Xiaohu originally wanted to go as well, but Ni Wenjun grabbed him and said, "The young couple are being affectionate. What are you going to do there?"

Chen Xiaohu said, "I haven't seen my elder brother for a long time, so naturally I want to say a few words to him."

"Stay put!"

Ni Wenjun's single sentence silenced Chen Xiaohu's restless actions, leaving him no choice but to wait obediently. Seeing Chen Xiaohu's state, Hu Weiyong said, "Haha, Tiger General, at this moment, the person our lord most wants to see is definitely not you or me, but his wife. You can't compare to that."

Upon hearing this, Ni Wenjun said, "Yes, Tiger General is also someone I haven't married yet. I think if I arrange a marriage for Tiger General, he'll understand the beauty of it all, haha..."

Hu Weiyong then revealed a smile that all men understand. Of the three, Hu Weiyong was the most adept at playing the game. He was a typical bureaucrat, currently having one wife and three concubines.

Ni Wenjun is the kind of person who is devoted to one person, and he only loves Hua Sanniang, but he has also been through thick and thin.

Only Chen Xiaohu, full of youthful vigor and not yet troubled by women, was stunned by what the others said. At this moment, Ni Wenjun said, "Commander Hu has come of age this year, hasn't he?"

Xiao Hu said, "I'm already twenty-one."

Hu Weiyong said, "It's time to get married, it's time to get married."

Ni Wenjun said, "Yes, by the way, what kind of woman is Tiger General planning to marry?"

"I don't need someone too pretty. I just want someone gentle, someone who's a tenth as beautiful as Sister Su. I'd be satisfied."

"This……"

Upon hearing this, Hu Weiyong said, "Good, General Hu has insight. Marrying a virtuous wife is the right thing to do."

Ni Wenjun said, "Whether someone is virtuous or not is just a feeling. Besides being virtuous, what other kind of person do you want? I'll have your sister-in-law Hua look for someone for you later."

Hu Weiyong said, "That's true, but the key is reliability. If Tiger Commander's wife is unreliable, it would be a disaster for the entire Huangzhou Prefecture. As for beauty, there are plenty of beautiful concubines. With Tiger Commander's status, as long as the word gets out, there will definitely be plenty of beautiful girls willing to be Tiger Commander's concubines."

Chen Xiaohu said, "I'm not in a hurry. If I really get married, I will ask Brother Jiu Si for his opinion. Whoever he tells me to marry, I will marry."

Upon hearing this, Ni Wenjun and Hu Weiyong laughed and said, "No one is more loyal than Tiger General!"

Chen Xiaohu said nothing more, but at that moment Chen Jie saw the princess galloping towards him on horseback.

The princess was not wearing armor today, but rather a loose robe. She was also very careful while riding her horse, and Chen Jie could clearly see that her belly was protruding.

At this moment, Chen Jie hurriedly went to meet him.

When the two met, they had endless things to say. Chen Jie helped the princess up and said, "You're almost five months pregnant, how can you ride a horse?"

The princess said, "Husband, I've forgotten that I am a Mulan woman. We grew up on horseback. Riding a horse is as easy as drinking water for us. Let alone five months, even if I'm about to give birth, I, a Mulan woman, can still go herding."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie said, "Ya Ya, a woman should follow her husband wherever he goes. You are now the mistress of my Huangzhou Prefecture, so you can't take any risks. The baby in your belly is the little master of my Huangzhou Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya looked at Chen Jie and said, "I am the young master, so what about the logic?"

Chen Jie glanced at Zhao Ya and then said, "They are all young masters of Huangzhou Prefecture."

Zhao Ya looked at Chen Jie without speaking, but after thinking for a moment, she said, "Husband, I know you are also having a hard time making this decision. In fact, I also know that if I give birth to a boy, the entire Huangzhou Prefecture system will face a huge challenge."

"If I were to harbor thoughts of seizing the throne, then Li'er's position as crown prince would be threatened. I'm sure my husband anticipated this, didn't he?"

Chen Jie did not answer, but that was enough to convey a thousand words.

Zhao Ya said, "I know my husband is having a hard time making a decision, so the reason I dared to see him in front of my family is that I wanted to talk to him about this matter."

Chen Jie said, "Ya Ya, please speak."

Zhao Ya said, "The most important matters of the state are establishing elders and appointing the virtuous."

"Does my husband wish to appoint the eldest son or the most virtuous as heir?"

Chen Jie glanced at Zhao Ya, then asked, "What does Li Chang say, and what does Li Xian say?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya said, "If we establish the eldest son, then we should establish Chen Li. From now on, my husband must spare no effort in nurturing him. He must not show any excessive favors to my son and me, and he must not allow the officials to misunderstand him in the slightest. Otherwise, trouble will surely arise in the future, and it will be unfair to both Chen Li and my son."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Zhao Ya and said, "Is it necessary to say all this so early?"

Zhao Ya sighed and said, "I'll consult Senior Yuan Sanjia. I'm carrying a child."

"Parents plan far ahead for their children. I may not care about myself, but I cannot not care about him. Therefore, if my husband is doing this for the good of my child and me, he should not give us any illusions."

Chen Jie frowned: "Can't they be brothers and treat each other with respect?"

Zhao Ya looked at Chen Jie and said, "Yes, it's possible to prevent cholera by making one person feel that the other poses no threat whatsoever, but it's too cruel!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Zhao Ya, then sighed and said, "Establishing a system based on primogeniture and merit is an age-old problem, one that even imperial families cannot avoid. However, I have never believed in such things. My son should not be bound by this constraint, and I will definitely find a way to resolve this matter."

"Whether it's Li'er or this unborn baby, I will make sure they have a happy ending. That's what a father should do."

Chen Jie spoke up, and Zhao Ya fell silent upon hearing this. She looked at Chen Jie and said, "Husband, this matter has always been difficult to resolve. If you cannot make a decision now, trouble will arise within your own walls in the future, and it will be even more difficult to choose. So, if you haven't thought of a foolproof plan, please listen to my words."

(End of this chapter)