Thief Emperor

Chapter 1051 Looking Around, My Heart Is Filled with Confusion

"can."

His Majesty the Emperor did not hesitate and quickly nodded in agreement to Yelü Hong's conditions.

There was no room for hesitation in such matters. For ordinary people, an official position might be an incredibly difficult thing to obtain, but for Emperor Li, it was probably the least valuable thing.

Moreover, since ancient times, it has been reasonable to give an official position to foreigners who have surrendered.

Of course, such an official position would either be a sinecure or the person would be kept far away from their clan. It would be impossible for them to lead their surrendered subordinates, as this could lead to serious problems at any time.

Moreover, these generals from other tribes, even if they had any ulterior motives when they first came here, after three to five years, they would not really want to return to the border region. Over time, these are the ones who would be the most ruthless towards their own people.

His Majesty the Emperor stroked his chin and said, "The Qingzhou Army is still short of a deputy general. If you are willing to go, I can appoint you as the deputy general of Qingzhou."

"Furthermore, the Divine Martial Guard within my Imperial Guards is also lacking a deputy general."

His Majesty the Emperor looked at him and said with a smile, "Where do you wish to go?"

It's impossible to appoint a surrendered general as a commander-in-chief, regardless of his rank.

Yelü Hong knelt on the ground and bowed his head, saying, "Your subject will obey Your Majesty's arrangements."

Upon seeing this, the emperor was taken aback at first, then smiled and said, "It's rare that you're obedient. Here's what we'll do: you go to the Chang'an Army in Guanzhong as a deputy general. I have a group of cavalrymen in Guanzhong who are currently being trained. Go and help them out for two or three years."

"If you do well, I will give you an important position."

His Majesty the Emperor said slowly, "If you can demonstrate your loyalty to me, then your future will be limitless."

These words immediately ignited a burning passion in Yelü Hong's eyes.

Before he came, he had communicated with the Khitan Khan, but he did not mention that he wanted to serve as an official in the Tang Dynasty.

This condition was something he came up with on a whim.

After returning, it was easy to explain. He only needed to tell the Khitan Khan that the Tang emperor insisted on keeping him as an official in the Tang Dynasty, otherwise he would not negotiate peace. In order to save the overall situation, he had no choice but to comply. In this way, even his brother, the Khitan Khan, could not say anything.

As a surrendered official, Yelü Hong originally intended to enjoy a life of luxury after becoming an official in the Tang Dynasty. However, upon hearing His Majesty the Emperor's words, a different idea immediately arose in his mind.

The future is boundless.

How could a surrendered official like him have a promising future?
That naturally relates to his background.

He knelt on the ground, bowed his head, and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you."

The emperor smiled and said, "If you do a good job, I might have another military governor of Liaodong in the future."

This is just the emperor's usual empty promise.

Having been emperor for ten years, Li Yun had become adept at using this skill to his advantage. Whether it was useful or not, casually mentioning it was never a mistake.

After all, whether or not the Liaodong military governorship will exist in the future, how it will be established, and what standards will be used, all rest with His Majesty the Emperor. He can say whatever he wants and decide however he wants.

Yelü Hong knelt and kowtowed to express his gratitude. Emperor Li waved his hand, signaling him to go and rest, and to come back to see the emperor at the grand court assembly the next day.

After he left, Su Zhan first saw him off, escorting Yelü Hong all the way out of the capital city to the Ministry of Rites' residence, and then returned.

Having served the emperor for many years, Su Zhan was able to understand many things with just a glance from the emperor, even without explicit explanation.

Upon returning to the Ganlu Palace, Su Zhan bowed to the Emperor and greeted him: "Your Majesty."

Li Yun didn't look up, but silently asked, "You've been spending some time with him, what do you think of him?"

Su Zhan thought for a moment and replied, "He's a very shrewd person."

"I asked him, and he said that there were quite a few Khitans stationed in Youyan at the time, and there were also quite a few Khitan nobles, but in ten years, not many of them really settled down to learn the Chinese language."

"He is one of them."

Su Zhan lowered his head and said, "At least he's a man with some ambition."

Upon hearing this, Li Yun looked up at Su Zhan and said with a smile, "It's good that you have ambition, but I'm afraid you're just a pig who only knows how to enjoy life, useless to raise."

"Once the matter in Youzhou is settled, you can bring him back to Luoyang."

Su Zhan bowed deeply: "Your subject obeys."

His Majesty the Emperor waved his hand and said, "Alright, you've worked hard these past few days. Go home and rest. In a few days, it will be my eldest daughter's wedding, and you'll be busy with that for a while."

"After you finish this matter and the New Year is over, take Yelü Hong to Youzhou again, and wait for your return from Youzhou."

His Majesty the Emperor said quietly, "Now I can promote you."

Su Zhan immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I only did what I should do..." "Alright, alright."

The emperor said speechlessly, "You and Zhou Bi will have to go out and shoulder responsibilities sooner or later. Stop arguing and go now."

Many things were decided long ago.

For example, people like Zhou Bi, Su Zhan, and Xue Gui, as long as they don't make any major mistakes, will definitely become very important in the new dynasty as time goes by and their seniority increases.

These people were the emperor's confidants and the backbone of the younger generation who had been chosen long ago.

Su Zhan dared not say anything more, but knelt down and kowtowed, responding with a "yes," before carefully leaving the Ganlu Hall.

After Su Zhan left, Emperor Li rubbed his throbbing temples, lost in thought.

If things go smoothly in Youyan, the last major external threat will soon disappear without a trace. Once Yuguan is completed, the dynasty will no longer have any major border problems.

After all, of the many old subordinates who followed Li Yun in conquering the country, at least 90% are still alive. With these people around, plus the military system that Li Yun has already established, there is a strong foundation for this.

Unless the outside world undergoes a sudden change, accelerating its development by a thousand years, this dynasty will not have any major problems for the first hundred years.

Of course, it's hard to guarantee that in future generations, there won't be any unworthy descendants who go to the Khitans to "hunt for study."

Thinking of this, Emperor Li sat silently for a moment, then stepped out of the Ganlu Hall, stretched his body, and went alone to the inner palace.

He arrived at the residence of Consort Lu. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Consort Lu holding an infant in swaddling clothes, leading palace staff to greet him.

Behind her were Consort Lu and several princes and princesses.

This includes the fifth prince born to Consort Lu and the seventh prince born to Consort Lu.

There was also the twelfth prince, who had just returned to Luoyang from Jinling, and was being held in the arms of Consort Lu.

The infant, still in swaddling clothes, was named Li Ning by Li Yun in memory of his birth in Nanjing.

Seeing so many people come out together, His Majesty the Emperor was somewhat surprised, then smiled and said, "Huan'er, it's really lively here."

Empress Lu stepped forward, handed the twelfth prince to Li Yun, and then said with a smile, "I haven't seen my sister for a long time, so I invited her to sit here and also summoned the children."

As she spoke, she looked at Li Yun and asked, "It's not even dark yet, Your Majesty, what brings you here?"

Emperor Li looked down at the infant in his arms, then looked up at Consort Lu, and chuckled: "I'm not some donkey pulling a millstone, why do I only have time after dark?"

Consort Lu pulled him into the house and sat him down. While pouring him tea, she said with a smile, "Hasn't Your Majesty been like this for the past ten years or so?"

The emperor waved his hand and said, "From now on, I won't be as busy as before. I need to rest and relax."

"I had a little free time today, so I came to ask you something."

The emperor asked, "How are the preparations for Shu'er's wedding going?"

Consort Lu was taken aback upon hearing this, and then said, "Our family has already made all the necessary preparations. As for the royal family's rules, the Prince of Chu is in charge of making those preparations at the Imperial Clan Court, and they should be almost finished by now."

Upon hearing this, His Majesty the Emperor inquired about the details in more detail, and finally summoned the fifth and seventh princes to test their knowledge.

After dark, the whole family gathered together again for a meal.

As night fell, Emperor Li stayed at Consort Lu's residence. In the stillness of the night, Consort Lu lay on top of the emperor, looked up at him, and asked, "Your Majesty seems to have something on your mind?"

"I have nothing on my mind."

The emperor was not asleep either, but muttered to himself, "So many things were accomplished all at once, that I feel like there's nothing left to do."

He paused, then continued, "And other things will take a very, very long time to accomplish, little by little."

Consort Lu didn't quite understand what Li Yun was talking about, but she just nodded silently and said, "Your Majesty is already the supreme ruler. The most important thing is to take care of your health. No matter what you do, don't rush."

"Take your time."

At this point, she chuckled softly, "Anyway, His Majesty is still quite valiant."

Emperor Li looked down at her, knowing what Consort Lu was talking about, and said with a smile, "Isn't it all because of you, Huan'er, that you've caused all this trouble?"

Empress Lu smiled, hugged His Majesty the Emperor, and said, "Your Majesty, please go to sleep. There is a grand court assembly tomorrow."

Li Yun hummed in agreement and slowly closed her eyes.

"When the Crown Prince grows up a bit more, he will be able to stand on his own."

"Then I can take you all and travel around some more."

(End of this chapter)