Thief Emperor

Chapter 1066 An Ordinary Father and Son
If ten years ago Zhou Chang still harbored some suspicions about Li Yun, worrying that Emperor Li would settle scores with the former military governors of Zhou, Zhou Chang has now largely dispelled that thought and is completely convinced of Li Yun's abilities.

It's been ten years.

Over the course of ten years, his father, Zhou Xu, was able to die peacefully with the title of prince, and even had several "little brothers" born to him in the last few years of his life.

He himself served as the General of Qingzhou for many years until his father, Zhou Xu, passed away, at which point Li Yun allowed his son, Zhou Luo, to take over the Qingzhou army.

Although Zhou Chang was well aware that the emperor was gradually stripping the Zhou family of their military power, and that Zhou Luo's position as the General of Qingzhou was a local general under the imperial court, completely different from the previous kind of regional military governor, Zhou Chang still felt grateful for Li Yun's kindness.

If the monarch were more cold-hearted, why would he need to go through all this trouble and be so gentle?

I'll kill your whole family with one slash!
As a contemporary of Emperor Li and a warlord who had experienced the ten years of turmoil at the end of the Wu Zhou dynasty, Zhou Chang was quite satisfied with the current situation. After receiving Li Yun's edict to reinstate him after his mourning period, he left Yangzhou almost immediately and traveled all the way to Luoyang.

His Majesty the Emperor glanced at Zhou Chang, who was kneeling on the ground with a devout expression, and said speechlessly, "Why are you being so formal after all these years?"

He personally helped Zhou Chang up and asked, "Is everything alright at home?"

Zhou Chang stood up and said with a wry smile, "It's good, but there are many more young widows, some of whom are about the same age as my daughter. After Father passes away, there will be nowhere to place them."

Emperor Li was taken aback upon hearing this, then shook his head and said speechlessly, "Your father is truly a blessed man. From his youth to his old age, he has never been content."

Zhou Chang silently lowered his head and said, "Yes, that old man..."

"They are blessed."

Zhou Xuzhou, the second-generation military governor, served as the military governor for thirty years. Combined with the ten years he served as the Prince of Linzi and the Prince of Jiangdu, he could be said to have never suffered any hardship in his life.

They're all sweet.

After exchanging a few words with Zhou Xu, Emperor Li laughed and said, "Speaking of which, those young widows were all your concubines."

Zhou Chang's expression stiffened, and he said with a wry smile, "I'm just worried about how to settle them. There are at least twenty or thirty of them, and it's giving me a real headache."

"Let them go out and remarry."

Zhou Chang said quietly, "Some, however, may not be willing to remarry."

During these ten years, General Zhou Xuzhou was actually quite well-behaved. The women in his household were all respectable and did not engage in any crooked or evil deeds. Of course, those women who had given birth to children wanted to stay in the Prince's Mansion. After all, the Prince's Mansion would provide them with food, drink, and a monthly allowance, which was much more comfortable than going out to get married.

Li Yun shook his head, no longer concerned with the family matters, and simply asked, "How is Zhou Luo now?"

Zhou Chang immediately bowed his head and said, "Thanks to His Majesty's promotion, he is now capable of taking over the military affairs of the Qingzhou Army."

"That's fine, that's fine."

His Majesty the Emperor looked at Zhou Chang and said with a smile, "I have summoned you to the capital for two main reasons, which you probably already know. The first is to officially grant you the title of Duke, which will be hereditary in your family from now on, with each generation holding the title of Duke."

"Two things: the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War is vacant, and I've asked you to fill it."

At this point, the emperor smiled and said, "In the entire new dynasty, you are probably the only one who holds the title of Duke and serves as a Vice Minister of the Six Ministries. It is an injustice to you, but please do not think it is too lowly."

Zhou Chang quickly lowered his head: "It is already a great favor from Your Majesty that I have a position. Besides, the position of Vice Minister of War is already a high position for me, and I may not be able to handle it."

The Zhou family can hardly take back the Qingzhou Army, their ancestral property. In other words, if Zhou Chang does not enter the court as an official, he will spend the rest of his life at home as a retired Duke of Taiping.

He's only a few years older than Li Yunnian, just over forty this year. If someone of that age is idle, it's not necessarily a good thing.

The position of Vice Minister of War was indeed a good job for him.

After all, Li Hu, who surrendered from the Hedong Army in his early years, has been serving in the court for almost ten years. To this day, he is only the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and has not yet become the Minister of War. Moreover, it is foreseeable that as long as Zhao Cheng is around, it will be difficult for him to climb any higher.

His Majesty the Emperor smiled and said, "Li Hu has been in the Ministry of War for almost ten years. After you inherit the title in a few days, you can go and ask him for advice on how to be a good Vice Minister of War."

"After you become an official in Luoyang, it will be much easier for us old friends to meet. When you have some free time, I'll treat you to some wine."

The height is not cold.

After ten years on the throne, His Majesty the Emperor is now feeling rather lonely, so much so that he feels especially close to Zhou Chang, his former "rival."

Zhou Chang bowed deeply, saying, "Your subject...is deeply honored."

With the Crown Prince's inspection tour, the launch of the court's large-scale construction projects, and the arrival of Duke Zhou Chang of Yangguo at court, the first half of the tenth year of Zhangwu was quite busy.

However, this is the beginning of a new decade, so it's normal to be busy. Emperor Li often visits the workshops and the Agricultural Institute to see if anything new or interesting has appeared, so that he can make the next steps in his planning.

In this way, half a year passed quickly. By June, the new policies in Jiangdong had been initially implemented, the textile industry began to flourish, and the Maritime Customs Office was also taking shape. The new dynasty's maritime transport was also gradually expanding outward.

Meanwhile, the war in Youyan came to an end, the Khitans surrendered completely, Meng Qing's troops occupied Yuguan and were building the pass in an orderly manner, while the large area of ​​land outside the pass was given by Li Yun to the Wugu tribe, who had submitted to the new dynasty early, or rather, who had "communicated" with Liu Bo early.

In the future, Liu Bo's two sons will be sent to the Wugu tribe, where they will become leaders and eventually become one of the Khitan Khans.

At this time, the imperial court had already dispatched Liu Bo, the Duke of Ying, who was on his way to the border with an imperial edict, preparing to confer upon Yelü Yi the title of Khitan Khan.

Of course, Li Yun wouldn't just bestow the title of Khan upon one Khitan leader. The Khitan leaders of the Wugu and Shiwei tribes would also be granted the title of Khan by Li Yun, so there would be at least three Khitan Khans in Liaodong.

As long as they don't unite, when His Majesty the Emperor wants to deal with them in the future, he can easily crush them. As for why he doesn't directly rule the entire Liaodong region...

That was after Yuguan Pass was built. Once Yuguan Pass was completed, the new dynasty would be able to advance or retreat as needed. Whether or not to fight would then be entirely up to His Majesty the Emperor.

At this time, the task of building Yuguan was being handled by Meng Qing's troops, together with the Liaodong Circuit Administration Office, which was the newly established office of the Huang Dynasty. All matters were proceeding in an orderly manner.

With the war coming to an end, Commander-in-Chief Meng Qing was already on his way back to Luoyang to report the entire Youyan war to His Majesty the Emperor.

If nothing unexpected happens, Meng Qing will most likely be awarded the title of Grand General for his meritorious service upon returning to the capital this time.

Just as all the institutions of the imperial court were gradually transforming the country according to His Majesty the Emperor's will, the second prince, Prince Yue, Li Zheng, who had been away from Luoyang for nearly a year, quietly returned to Luoyang.

After returning to Luoyang, he first rested for one night at the Yue Prince's Mansion in Luoyang City. The next day, the Prince of Yue entered the palace and was led to the Ganlu Hall by the Grand Eunuch Gu Chang.

After entering the Ganlu Hall, the King of Yue knelt on the ground, bowed deeply, and kowtowed, saying, "Your subject... pays respects to Your Majesty!"

His Majesty the Emperor did not reply. He simply stood up, walked to his son's side, helped the son, who was almost as short as him, to his feet, looked him up and down, and asked, "Is your injury much healed?"

The King of Yue quickly bowed his head and said, "Thank you for your concern, Father. I am much better now."

He looked up at Li Yun and said with a smile, "Father, before I left Chengdu, General Yu had already occupied most of Jinchuan Prefecture. It is only a matter of time before the imperial court completely occupies Jinchuan."

Emperor Li glanced at him and chuckled, "The Nine Departments will leave faster than you."

The King of Yue coughed once and then fell silent.

His Majesty the Emperor patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "However, my son did a good job on this mission. I am very pleased with him."

He remarked with emotion, "The children have finally reached the age where they can do things."

His Highness the King of Yue bowed his head and said, "My sons, you should have done something for your father long ago."

As Emperor Li walked out, he said, “Let’s go. I’ll take you to Yongshou Palace to see your mother. In the past six months, she has come to ask about you every day or two. She has also lost some weight.”

“I’ll take you there right now and give your mother a healthy, lively child.”

Upon hearing this, His Highness the Prince of Yue's eyes also reddened. He followed behind Li Yun, head bowed, and cautiously asked, "Father, you didn't tell Mother about my injury, did you?"

His Majesty the Emperor turned around, glanced at him, and shook his head slightly: "How can you expect me to keep something like this from her?"

"Thankfully you're safe and sound."

At this point, Emperor Li continued, "Your eldest sister got married, but you didn't come back. She's pregnant now. Remember to go see her in a couple of days."

As His Majesty the Emperor walked, he chatted casually with Prince Yue, who listened and nodded.

Under the sunlight, the father and son, who were similar in stature, walked through the imperial city, casting two tall shadows.

Just like any ordinary father and son in the countryside.

(End of this chapter)