Joy of Life: I, a man, became the Queen of Northern Qi?

"I've met the Queen."

There were still those familiar faces below, and as for the newcomers, Li An also took note and remembered a few of them. They were all people who had come to the front from their respective families and were very capable.

"Queen, come and sit next to me." At this moment, the little emperor seemed calm and gentle, without any of the temper he had when he left Yong'an Palace.

Beside her was the wooden tent guard, who also bowed to Li Ang.

Now that Haitang Duoduo’s identity is different, she naturally cannot attend court sessions at will.

"His Majesty."

Li An bowed slightly and walked forward: "Your Majesty, I haven't even entered the palace yet, but I heard the noise in the court from a distance. I wonder what happened that caused the adults to argue so much?"

The little emperor did not respond, but just smiled and glanced down.

The court officials lowered their heads under the gaze of His Majesty, fearing that they would be noticed by him. Even the few who had argued the most fiercely just now did not dare to speak anymore. If they were singled out at this time, their fate would be worrying.
What happened to the Queen?
In the past few days, they have been staying in the palace and not caring about external affairs. Otherwise, they would not dare to make such a fuss. They thought that the Queen had tacitly approved of their fight!

"Nonsense!"

Although Li An was smiling and whispering, it made everyone shudder.

Following the little emperor's example, Li An also looked at the crowd, and saw Yu Huatian and the other two in the crowd: "Hey~ Aren't these Xiao Tianzi, Xiao Chunzi, and Lord Shen? Why are you all standing in the back with your heads down? Come to the front quickly, it's tiring to talk to you from a distance."

"Can't you hear what the Queen said?"

Seeing Li An sitting on the dragon chair, the little emperor didn't know what he was thinking of. He curved his eyebrows and looked towards the back of the hall with a smile: "Just stand in the first row, and the Minister of Rites, the Minister of Revenue, and the Prince's Junior Tutor should step back one position!"

The ministers were shocked.

Although Yu Huatian and others are high-ranking officials, they are not supposed to attend court meetings due to their duties and status as eunuchs. But from what Your Majesty and Your Majesty have said, I'm afraid their positions will be fixed from now on?

The three men were speechless and showed no joy. They hurriedly stepped forward and bowed before standing still, accepting the attention of the ministers.

"Well, where did your Majesty leave off?"

Li An asked softly.

Zhan Doudou calmed down and said, "We are talking about the date the delegation should choose to leave for Beijing. The sooner they return, the sooner Qing can fulfill the peace agreement with Da Qi. The ministers were just arguing about who should be sent to Xinzhou to take office, and this matter came first."

"After all, the date for this year's spring imperial examination has also arrived."

There are many issues involved in this.

You must know that in addition to the chief officials, the two states also need to appoint people from various government offices, and even minor officials must be sent from the country. In this way, a large number of officials are needed to fill the vacancies. It is not that the young emperor does not want to appoint local officials in the new state, but the people in the two states have not yet completely surrendered, and he is not confident in using them, so they all have to be replaced!

The training and selection of new talents cannot be explained in a few words. Many interests are involved and we must be cautious. This is why we have been discussing for several days but have not yet come to a conclusion.

"Your Majesty, have you asked the Queen Mother for her opinion on this matter?" Li An asked.

"I have already asked, and my mother has given me some candidates, but when it comes to the final decision, she said that I can decide on my own. Anyway, it is a good thing."

This is the trouble of happiness.

This was the first time that the Northern Qi Dynasty had expanded outward. Although Zhan Doudou looked a little distressed, there was still some joy between the lines.

Li An nodded, knowing the Queen Mother's attitude and intention. Logically speaking, good things are indeed good things, but the worst thing is that good things may turn into bad things!
"Your Majesty is wise. This is a major event. It is not excessive to be a little cautious, but there is no need to overwork yourself and damage your dragon body." Li An slowly brushed his long sleeves, deliberately emitting a strong aura, and continued, "The two states gained in this battle are the first time our dynasty has expanded its territory, but it will definitely not be the last! All of this is due to your majesty's wisdom and bravery, and your hard work and perseverance. You all need to keep this in mind!"

The noisy and endless arguments, the ugly eating manners, were unbecoming.

The ministers understood and bowed with great respect, shouting: "Your Majesty is wise! Your benevolence is spread throughout the world, your majesty is mighty, and the people are loyal to you!"

"No need to pay tribute."

Zhan Doudou had a gentle smile and never showed any arrogance. He maintained restraint. It was the Queen's credit that was also my credit. There was nothing wrong with her and it can be recorded in history books.

"Let's take today's court meeting as an example, and follow the same pattern for the territories we conquer in the future."

Li An nodded and said to Prime Minister Zhang Shuntai, "Prime Minister Zhang, who has petitioned to go to Xinzhou just now?"

Zhang Shuntai slowly stepped out of the line, saluted and responded: "In reply to your Majesty, there are seven adults petitioning, and they are..." The prime minister slowly read out the names, and the seven people also slowly stepped out of the line.

"very good."

"Shen Zhong, Yu Huatian, Cao Zhengchun, the three of you can tell us about the situation of these seven adults, so that all the adults can take a good look and see who is suitable to go."

Shen Zhong smiled apologetically at the two people beside him, as if to say that if there were any omissions, they could add them.

He stepped out of the line, bowed upwards, and then began to tell the information of the seven people one by one, without thinking, as if he knew everything about them.

However, the more he spoke, the more frightening it became!

This is not about introducing the information of a few people or talking about their political achievements, it is clearly about describing the crimes of some of them!
Four of the seven people had already fallen to the ground, sweating profusely, and no one dared to explain anything.

They knew that the Jinyiwei represented by Shen Zhong would not speak carelessly. Didn't they see that the supervisors of the other two factories, East and West, had no objections? The Queen would not listen to their sophistry and would only believe the results of her subordinates' investigation.

"Oh, you are really a good minister of Da Qi~ Did you all hear it clearly?"

The second half of the sentence was asked to all the officials in the hall.

"Your Majesty, Madam, we heard it clearly!"

"It's good that it's clear. Doesn't this narrow the scope of candidates a lot?" At this point, Li An's eyes began to wander. He raised his hand and the guards entered the hall and dragged the four people out. He turned his gaze to Prime Minister Zhang Shuntai and said, "The obstacles that shouldn't have appeared in the court have now been cleared. It's a coincidence. It's also a token of my appreciation. Prime Minister Zhang, you are very lucky."

"I thank Your Majesty and Your Majesty for your kindness and appreciation." Zhang Shuntai knelt on the ground and responded with great courtesy.

As the prime minister, he is the head of all officials and has the support of His Majesty. However, he cannot even decide on a candidate for external assignment. It has to be said that Zhang Shuntai lacks courage and is at two extremes compared to his predecessor Jin Weixian.

Li An kept smiling, calmly responded to the salute and said: "Stand up, after today you will be the real prime minister." Looking at the increasingly bright light outside the palace, the queen sat high above the emperor on the dragon throne, but she sighed softly.

Then he changed the subject and continued, as if he was sighing, "I went to the capital of Qing Kingdom and learned that the Emperor of Qing Kingdom, Li Yunqian, was the most mysterious Grandmaster in the Southern Dynasty Palace. I seriously injured him. Unfortunately, I was unable to accomplish my mission!"

"The delegation received the order from the palace and has already set off before dawn today."

When these words were spoken, everyone in the room was stunned!

Emperor Qing is also a Grandmaster? What is wrong with this world? The powerful and wealthy don't just enjoy their lives, but both Emperor Qing and Empress practice martial arts!
Is it really necessary to endure this bitterness?

All the ministers felt their knees go weak and they were about to kneel down, but they were distracted for a moment and quickly forced themselves to support themselves. For a moment they were at a loss as to how to praise the Queen.
Could it be that she is invincible and feared by the world?

But this doesn't seem like a compliment to a woman, it's more like an insult! The Queen is naturally virtuous and kind, and the mother of the country.
But it’s not wrong to say so. There was a pause, and an awkward atmosphere lingered in the hall.

Above, Li An continued: "I have many new agricultural production tools here, and I have brought back many high-quality crop seeds. In a few years, they will benefit the entire Da Qi and enhance the national strength." After a pause, Li An looked at the remaining three of the original seven candidates and said: "In this case, are you still willing to go to the two new states?"

The slightly slower ministers were still wondering why the queen said this. Improving the national strength would naturally be a great thing that would benefit all the people in the world, but what did this have to do with going to Xinzhou to be an official?
It seems there is no conflict.

The ministers looked at the three men, but found that they did not agree immediately, but were in hesitation. Could it be that there was a hidden story?
"It seems that you have understood." Li An began to admire the three people. It was also an explanation. He said, "Now my Great Qi has surpassed Nanqing in the number of Grandmasters, and even the cultural governance is inherited from the Great Wei Dynasty. The only difference between us and Nanqing is the national strength and military strength. Even if we conquer the territory, we can't defend it."

"You can't let me and the Imperial Master travel around all year round, right?"

Without waiting for the ministers to answer, Li An's face became solemn and he said in a deep voice: "This time, I have seriously injured Emperor Qing. If he doesn't know what's good for him, the peace talks will be invalid and war will start again! The gains from the peace talks will naturally be invalid. Even if he endures it and doesn't want to attack, I will raise troops to attack Qing within a year or two!"

"Since we have taken action, we must root out the problem and annihilate the Nanqing royal family!"

"If the situation continues to develop like this, can the two newly acquired states still be peaceful and stable? It's hard to say. Those who go there to take office may never come back."

"You wanted to fight before, and His Majesty gave you enough face to fight! The central government could have issued an order to forcibly appoint officials, but His Majesty did not do so. What do you think this is? A joke? These are all the grace and kindness bestowed upon you by His Majesty! But you have lost your duty!"

Including the three candidates for officials, all the civil and military officials in the court knelt on the ground, shouting "We are guilty". For a moment, the rhythm of the whole venue was controlled by Li Ang.

"Humph! You are indeed guilty!"

Li An snorted coldly and stood up, his face full of displeasure: "The Prime Minister doesn't act like a Prime Minister, and the Ministry of Personnel is useless. However, this is bad news and good news! Otherwise, how could so many people come forward?"

"Over the years, the rules have been in place. Your Majesty is the law, and the Prime Minister is the person who acts on your behalf."

"But today, someone in this palace wants to enforce some new laws and challenge this order. I am looking forward to the challenge from others, just like the four people and the families behind them. If they are killed without asking any questions, they will only become heroes in the hearts of the people!"

"I will read out their crimes and then kill them, so that you can all remember where you are! I don't want what happened today to happen again."

All the chaos and quarrels are nothing in front of Ang Lee's iron sword.

This is power, and it is also truth.

Competition? Are you really not afraid of death?

"There is a beginning and an end. All three of you, tell us who will take office in those two states!"

Who dares to mention anything else now? Naturally, they will do whatever the court arranges.
"Zhang Jiji, this seems to be the name I just heard. Tell me, what happened to your Jiji Kingdom?"

What a weird name. It doesn't sound very reliable.
"what?"

Zhang Jiji was one of the three people. When he heard the Queen's question, he suddenly raised his head and responded uncertainly: "Your Majesty, what is the Jiji Kingdom? I don't know!"

"I'm asking you, do you want to take office in Xinzhou?"

He is not an unreasonable person. Since Zhang Jiji was able to participate in the competition before and he has no major bad record, this person can be used.

Zhang Jiji straightened his upper body, with a sincere expression, and said with his hands clasped, "Your Majesty and Your Majesty will do your bidding. If there is an appointment from the court, no matter whether Xinzhou is in danger or not, I will go all out and repay Your Majesty and Your Majesty for their regard until I die!"

"Great, what about you two?"

One of the remaining two stepped forward first and gave an affirmative answer, with the sentence structure being roughly the same as Zhang Jiji's.

In just a short time, the problem that had troubled the little emperor for many days was solved.

One of the remaining two went to another new state, and the other stayed to cooperate with the Minister of Rites Chen Yuanpei to preside over the Spring Examination, and the dispute came to an end.

After the court was dismissed, Yu Huatian and his three companions as well as Wei Hua were kept by Li An.

"Your Majesty, let's return to Yong'an Palace."

"Okay, we'll discuss this matter after we return to the palace."

The young emperor glanced at Shen Zhong and Zhao Gao who came to greet him, and ordered in a deep voice: "The queen mentioned in the palace today that the army will be sent to Qing Kingdom in a year or so at the latest. There are many people in the palace, so you should pay more attention to see who is sending messages to Qing Kingdom. Once discovered, execute them directly."

It was impossible to completely conceal the news of the new crops and tools. After Qi's attack warning, Qing would certainly take precautions in advance.

But she could hide for a while, at least until the result of the peace talks between the two countries was implemented. She didn't want to kill all the nearly 20,000 captives, as that would be too bloody and cruel.
With nearly 20,000 surrendered soldiers, the chances of Emperor Qing going back on his word are actually slim.

"Yes."

Unlike Shen Zhong's brief silence, Zhao Gao continued with a proper smile, "Your Majesty is a man of foresight. Anyone who dares to have second thoughts will be punished by the law!"

The little emperor just smiled and said nothing, but the empress looked at him coldly.

Zhao Gao caught a glimpse of this smile, his heart was instantly startled and he quickly restrained his smile, lowered his head slightly and walked quickly forward to attract the attention of the people around him.

Several of them were skilled in martial arts and soon arrived in front of Yong'an Palace.

Suddenly and quickly, Li An turned around and slapped Shen Zhong in the face. Under everyone's surprised gaze, Shen Zhong's left face quickly became red and swollen.

"Master Shen, have you found a way out?" (End of this chapter)