Thief Emperor

Chapter 1145 Power Across Two Thousand Miles

The next day, Prime Minister Du, along with all the officials, came to the palace to present his report. At that time, in His Majesty the Emperor's study, His Majesty the Emperor and the Fourth Princess were looking through letters sent from Luoyang.

There were many letters, some from the Crown Prince, some from Prince Zheng, and others from Minister Xue of the Ministry of Revenue and Marquis Xue, addressed to the Fourth Princess.

After reading the Xue family's letter, the Fourth Princess smiled at Li Yun and said, "My eldest uncle and second uncle are asking me about something."

Emperor Li was also looking through the letters the Crown Prince had sent him. Upon hearing this, he looked up at the Fourth Princess and said in a daze, "Ask about Xue Gui?"

"Ah."

The Fourth Princess smiled and said, "He didn't say it outright, but hinted at it indirectly. I guess he was afraid that my eldest cousin in Jinling hadn't satisfied Father Emperor."

The emperor smiled and said, "This is not just something written for you."

The fourth princess sat beside her father and blinked: "Father, you've already seen it?"

"Am I the kind of person who reads other people's letters?"

His Majesty the Emperor glanced at the Fourth Princess and said with a smile, "There are many twists and turns in this matter, and you, as a young lady, don't need to understand them."

At this moment, Gu Chang cautiously entered and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Du, along with Vice Minister Zhang, Magistrate Fei, and Governor Geng, request an audience."

The emperor patted his daughter's head and said with a smile, "Alright, my dear daughter, go play now. Your father has important business to attend to."

The fourth princess obediently stood up and said with a smile, "I'll go and invite them in for my father."

The emperor smiled and agreed.

The fourth princess arrived at the Zhaoming Palace and saw the four people waiting there. She stepped forward, bowed, and said with a smile, "Uncle Du, Father Emperor invites you in."

Du Qian and the others quickly returned the greeting, and when they stood up again, their faces were full of smiles as they looked at the Fourth Princess.

No matter which official it was, being addressed in such a way by the emperor's eldest daughter was a great honor. Moreover, Du Qian had always liked this fourth princess very much, so he said with a smile, "Your Highness is too kind."

The fourth princess pointed to Zhaoming Hall: "Father is inside. Uncle Du, please go in quickly. I'm going to find my eldest cousin."

After saying that, the fourth princess skipped away.

From beginning to end, she ignored the three people behind Du Qian.

It's not that they're impolite, but rather that they don't know each other.

In this era, being able to become familiar with the imperial family was a great privilege. Apart from Du Qian, it was very difficult for others to see the emperor, let alone the imperial princess.

After the Fourth Princess left, Prime Minister Du watched her departing figure, shook his head, and sighed.

He also liked this fourth princess very much and wanted his youngest son to marry her, but unfortunately His Majesty the Emperor was very protective of her, so there was probably no hope for the next few years.

After shaking his head, he led the three of them into Zhaoming Hall.

Meanwhile, under the protection of the Imperial Guards, the Fourth Princess left the capital and arrived at the Xue residence.

The Xue residence at this time was the former Li Garden, the old residence of the Zhuo family, where His Highness the Crown Prince was born.

When she arrived at the Xue residence, Xue Gui had already come out to greet her at the entrance and invited the Fourth Princess inside.

Xue Gui had a big smile on his face.

"Your Highness has arrived so early."

The brother and sister had already arranged to tour Jinling City today, and Xue Gui was not surprised by the arrival of the Fourth Princess.

The Fourth Princess looked at Xue Gui and said with a smile, "I was summoned by my father to read a letter this morning, and I came over after reading it."

"Elder cousin, we're all family, so please don't call me Your Highness. Just call me by my name."

Xue Gui didn't stand on ceremony and invited her into his home. He said with a smile, "Today, I specially asked General Deng for three days off. We'll go out in a bit, and I'll definitely show you around Jinling City these next few days."

The fourth princess walked around the Xue residence, looking at the sights as she went: "Father said that my family used to live here."

"Yes."

Xue Gui said with a smile, "When I was twelve or thirteen years old, my grandfather sent me here. At that time, my uncle and aunt lived here."

"Later, my aunt and uncle moved away, and the house was given to our Xue family."

While the two were talking, Madam Xue had already led her children to come up and pay their respects. These younger members of the Xue family all knelt on the ground, kowtowed to the Fourth Princess, and addressed her as Aunt.

The fourth princess was only about fifteen years old, and she was at a loss for what to do. She looked up at Xue Gui with a bitter face and said, "Brother, I didn't bring anything with me."

Xue Gui laughed heartily: "I don't want your things, I don't want your things."

He waved his hand, dismissing his children.

"Go, all of you."

After his children had all left, Xue Gui looked at the Fourth Princess and said with a smile, "In a little while, I'll have your sister-in-law change your clothes, and then we'll take a stroll around Jinling City together."

The fourth princess's eyes darted around: "I want to go see the Qinhuai River."

Upon hearing this, Xue Gui wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a wry smile, "That place is a mixed bag, not very convenient."

The fourth princess chuckled and said, "I heard about it when I was in Luoyang."

"I heard from Mother that you, my eldest cousin, often visited Jinling after you arrived."

Xue Gui blushed and coughed.

“Those are all rumors. My eldest cousin rarely goes there.” He paused, then added, “That place is not to be visited. If I were to take you there, His Majesty and the Empress would surely kill me if they found out.”

"You can't go to that place. There are plenty of fun places in Jinling City. Let me take you to other places today."

The Fourth Princess frowned, but seeing Xue Gui's resolute expression, she sighed.

"Alright then."

She glanced at Xue Gui and pouted, "Everyone says my parents treat you like their own son, so why are you so timid?"

Xue Gui said helplessly.

"It's precisely because His Majesty and the Empress treat me so well."

"I can't take you with me."

…………

Inside the Zhaoming Hall, His Majesty the Emperor, along with Prime Minister Du and local officials, held a half-hour meeting before letting them leave. Before they departed, His Majesty the Emperor cleared his throat and said solemnly, "Gentlemen, the implementation of the new policy is not aimed at the specific amount of land tax collected or commercial tax levied."

"Instead, we should develop industry and commerce."

"You all need to grasp the overall situation, avoid forcing growth, and don't be too hasty, otherwise it will backfire."

Everyone stood up, bowed their heads, and replied, "Your subjects obey."

"Alright, all of you, go and get on with your tasks."

The emperor looked at Fei Lian, the Prefect of Jinling, and Geng Yong, the Provincial Governor of Jiangdong, and said with a smile, "Your positions will remain unchanged for the next five or six years. Just pay attention and do your jobs well."

"You've done a good job. You'll be rewarded when you take office."

Both of them bowed their heads and said, "Your Majesty, we thank you."

The emperor waved his hand: "Alright, all of you may leave."

He looked at Du Qian and said with a smile, "Brother Shouyi and Zhang Sui can start discussing how to extend the new policy to other prefectures as soon as possible."

"Yes."

After everyone left, His Majesty the Emperor sat in silence for a while, flipping through several documents at hand, and finally his gaze fell on the documents sent from the Northwest, his expression complex.

Just as His Majesty the Emperor's gaze fell upon the Northwest, in Chang'an, Guanzhong, He Man, the Director of the Guanzhong Division, had already arrived at General Chen's residence.

He Sizheng's face was somewhat pale. After seeing General Chen, he clasped his hands, bowed, and said, "General, His Majesty has given an urgent order."

Chen Da helped him up and sighed, "Because of the Northwest?"

He Man grunted in acknowledgment and said, "His Majesty has urgently summoned me to Jinling for an audience."

He glanced at Chen Da and continued, "His Majesty also instructed the Grand General to keep an eye on the Northwest battlefield. If anything goes wrong on the Northwest battlefield, the Grand General can take over the military command of the Northwest battlefield directly with the Emperor's edict."

Having said that, He Man took out the emperor's edict from his bosom.

This edict was not an imperial decree, because an imperial decree required review by the three provinces, or the imperial court, before it could be issued.

This is a private edict from His Majesty the Emperor, stamped with the imperial seal of His Majesty the Emperor.

This can be considered the central theme.

However, for people like Chen Da, Li Yun's edicts were sometimes more effective than official imperial decrees.

General Chen immediately knelt on the ground, accepted the imperial edict with both hands, and bowed his head, saying, "Your subject obeys!"

After receiving the imperial edict, he stood up, glanced at He Man, and sighed: "Ever since His Highness Prince Qin massacred the city in the Northwest, I knew that His Majesty would intervene in this matter."

He Sizheng's expression was not good, and he said with a wry smile, "His Majesty summoned me urgently, and I must rush to Jinling today. I'm afraid His Majesty is not concerned about the Northwest battlefield, but rather about..."

"His Royal Highness King Qin."

General Chen frowned and asked, "Has His Highness Prince Qin committed any serious mistake during his years in Guanzhong?"

In recent years, although Chen Da still holds the title of General of Chang'an, he has actually been pacifying the various kingdoms in the Western Regions and has only recently returned.

He was not actually very clear about what happened after the King of Qin took up his fief in Chang'an.

He Man took a deep breath and lowered his head, saying, "His Highness Prince Qin's temperament... is indeed somewhat irritable. His Highness has also been in a bad mood these past few years, therefore..."

Chen Da frowned and asked, "Has someone died?"

"Yes, and there are several of them."

He Man said in a low voice, "However, they are all servants of the Prince of Qin's mansion. No outsiders died, so it's not a big deal. It's also a private matter of the imperial family. If the Prince of Qin doesn't take the initiative to report it, we dare not report it either."

Chen Da frowned and said in a low voice, "Were they all killed by the King of Qin?"

He Man took a deep breath.

"Things at the Prince of Qin's residence."

"We don't know either..."

General Chen frowned deeply.

"This will surely incur His Majesty's wrath."

(End of this chapter)