Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1006: Western Regions
Unlike the tense situation in Youzhou and Yuzhou, the city of Luoyang at this moment was decorated with lights and a festive atmosphere.

According to court regulations, the Empress Dowager's birthday is celebrated once every ten years, with a small celebration every year. However, both Xu and Liu He have always been accustomed to a relatively simple life and do not like overly extravagant celebrations. In previous years, they would invite their family members to gather in the harem for a banquet.

Therefore, this was the first time in more than ten years since Liu He ascended the throne that a birthday celebration was held for Xu.

As if Liu He wanted to make up for all the celebrations that had been missed over the past decade at once, he spent a huge amount of money to decorate Luoyang City and the imperial palace in a very luxurious way, and the streets were also cleaner than before.

The current Luoyang City is completely different from what it used to be. Over the years, a team of court craftsmen headed by He Chang has repaired and even rebuilt the city walls, city gates, and streets every year. Over the years, a total of hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent, and the results are remarkable.

There are three avenues in the city, namely the north-south Xinghan Avenue, and the east-west streets located in the north and south cities respectively: Anmin Avenue and Yongning Avenue.

These three avenues are all twelve meters wide, with a green belt in the middle that divides the road into left and right sides. There are also small paths on the side of the avenue, where pedestrians and carriages go separately.

On weekdays, there is a constant flow of people on the avenue, and it has been even more prosperous in recent days. Every day is like a festival or temple fair, with people shoulder to shoulder, and all kinds of merchants and vendors constantly hawking their wares, making it extremely lively.

Liu He had already issued an edict that in the month of the empress dowager's birthday, all taxes for all merchants and vendors in Luoyang city would be reduced by half. At the same time, all prefectures and counties under the jurisdiction of the court would also be exempted from land tax for half a year to show that the whole country was celebrating together.

It was also because of this that many merchants from the surrounding cities flocked to Luoyang. As it was inconvenient to set up stalls in the city, they set up temporary streets several miles long on both sides of the official road outside the city. It was extremely prosperous.

On the streets, in teahouses and taverns, among common people and businessmen, all were talking about the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration. The states and counties under the rule of the court had enjoyed peace for a long time, and the people were living a stable life. They were already somewhat bored, and with such a happy event, naturally everyone was looking forward to joining in the fun.

The palace was even more joyous, from the Empress Dowager and the Emperor to the palace maids and eunuchs, everyone had a smile on their face. One reason was that Xu and Zhang Yu were in charge of the harem and had always been kind and generous. The other reason was that on the occasion of this celebration, Xu had taken out some money from the inner treasury to give to them so that they could celebrate together. Naturally, they were very happy.

The Imperial Palace, the North Palace, and Fanglin Garden.

"Your Majesty, all matters concerning the celebration and the birthday banquet have been prepared. The provincial governors and many generals have also returned to Luoyang. This celebration cost a total of 576 million yuan, more than 174,000 dan of grain, more than 20,000 pieces of silk, and more than 50,000 cattle, sheep, pigs, donkeys, chickens, ducks and other livestock were slaughtered, as well as countless fruits and vegetables."

Qian Li was in charge of the celebration affairs, and at this moment he was reporting the expenses of the celebration to Liu He.

Liu He nodded slightly: "Well, it's well done. Have the gift lists of the ministers in the court been submitted?"

Qian Li replied, "They have all been presented. The gifts sent by the major families are the most important. The gifts sent by each family are rare treasures in the world, worth tens of millions. The other families, big or small, whether they have people serving in the court or not, have presented gifts individually or through a minister. In addition, the civil and military ministers in the court have also presented other gifts. All the gifts, including coins, total about 13 billion."

"Wow, it's really a lot. The gifts I received cost much more than the birthday banquet. I really made a fortune."

Liu He joked.

"Haha, it is my duty as a minister to congratulate the Queen Mother on her birthday. However, the reason why the gift is so generous is that Man Chong has contributed a lot."

Xun Yu's words reminded Liu He.

"Yes, Wen Ruo is right. In the past few months, Bo Ning has been inspecting various places, punishing those who secretly resold land and took the opportunity to evade taxes, and those who ran rampant in the countryside and oppressed the people. All of them were confiscated. Those families and ministers are naturally terrified and want to use this birthday celebration to seek peace."

Liu He said with a smile, and then changed the subject and asked Qian Li: "By the way, what is the current situation of Wang Situ and his team's book sales?"

Qian Li reported again: "Wang Situ purchased books from His Majesty in 16 batches, earning a profit of about 340 billion. Wang Situ and others also made a lot of money from this, and the profit should be around 200 billion."

Liu He nodded. This paper printed book was truly a rare treasure in this era. It was a hot commodity and the profits were naturally extremely lucrative.

"Have you found out who he sold them to?"

Qian Li replied, "The Minister of Education divided the business among more than 30 families, both large and small, who opened libraries in the capitals of various states. The libraries at the gates of the Imperial College and the Official School were particularly prosperous. In addition, Minister Wang and many ministers and family heads secretly contacted many families in the world, and they would order a large number of books from them every time. As far as I know, the Yingchuan Cheng family, where Cheng Yu, a counselor under Cao Cao, was located, purchased no less than 7,000 to 8,000 books three times. Some of them paid with money, and some exchanged with silk, houses, and fertile fields."

"Also, in the past few months, Wang Situ has joined forces with many families to open private schools in various places. So far, there are no less than 600 to 700 private schools. Among them, students with a little family property will also buy a few or dozens of books. Not only that, the tuition fees for the private schools they run are also not small. The minimum is two or three dou of rice, and the maximum is one or two thousand coins. It is also a considerable income."

Liu He raised his eyebrows when he heard this: "They are really good at making money. By this calculation, I'm afraid their current income is more than double what it was before."

"Your Majesty is right. That is exactly what you said. Nowadays, these families no longer rely on the family land for their livelihoods as they did in the past. Most of the land they have left is only one tenth of it. Now, they use the money they earn from buying books to buy food and meat, and they live better than before."

"Haha, I'm afraid they still don't know that their lands are actually in my hands."

Liu He said this with some sarcasm.

Xun Yu smiled and said, "In the first six months, your Majesty, each batch of books was larger and more valuable than the previous batch. The money they earned from buying books was always insufficient to purchase new books, so they had to keep selling their land and houses. Until they had sold most of their land, your Majesty stabilized the number of books in each batch. The only thing to blame is their own greed."

Afterwards, he asked Liu He again, "When will Your Majesty plan to close the net on them?"

Liu He waved his hand: "No hurry, they are still well behaved at the moment, and have not made any excessive plans, so I cannot let them down. This move of mine is just a precautionary measure. If they dare to make any illegal plans one day, I will use this method to deal with them. As for now... let them work hard to make money for me and the court, what's wrong with that? Moreover, a lot of this money comes from the enemy camp. Using other people's money to support our own soldiers, why should I ruin such a good thing?"

Xun Yu and Qian Li smiled when they heard this: "Your Majesty is wise. I cannot wait any longer."

"Oh, right." Qian Li seemed to suddenly remember something and took out a somewhat luxurious-looking list from his arms.

"Yesterday, when the Governor of Liangzhou Cui Jun returned to the court, he also brought a special gift. However, when he entered the palace, Your Majesty was paying respects to the Queen Mother in the palace, so Governor Cui gave the gift to me. Please pass it on."

After saying that, Qian Li solemnly handed the list to Liu He.

"Oh? A gift from Zhou Ping? It's so solemn. I am a little curious."

Liu He took the list, unfolded it and looked at it for a few seconds, then a look of surprise appeared on his face. "This... This is... the gift list of the countries in the Western Regions?"

"That's right." Qian Li said.

"Your Majesty destroyed the main force of the Southern Xiongnu in the early years and made the Xianbei surrender. Now General Guan has subdued all the Qiang tribes, and the Western Han Dynasty has been stable since then. Liangzhou Governor Cui Jun, Dunhuang Governor Lu Yong, Jiuquan Governor Huangfu Chang and others have governed the local area, built highways, and enforced laws and regulations, making the reputation of our Han Dynasty spread throughout the world."

"In the past, dozens of countries in the Western Regions were threatened by the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Qiang and other tribes. In addition, the Han Dynasty was in civil strife and the government was neglected, so the Silk Road was gradually cut off. The Western Regions countries that were originally subservient to the Han Dynasty also changed sides. Now, seeing that the Celestial Empire has regained its prestige, and with the fair treatment of Governor Cui and others in Liangzhou, business is booming. In the past one or two years, many caravans have come to Liangzhou to trade. After learning about the Queen Mother's birthday, many countries sent special envoys and presented gift lists to show their submission."

This gift list was a pleasant surprise for Liu He.

There were dozens of countries in the Western Regions. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, after Wei Qing and Huo Qubing defeated the Huns, they remained subject to the Han Dynasty for a long time. The Han Dynasty established the Protectorate of the Western Regions to govern them. Until the time of Chen Tang, Ban Gu and others, the Western Regions became a vassal state of the Han Dynasty.

But later, due to various reasons, the two sides gradually lost contact, and the Han Dynasty's route to the west was blocked by the Qiang, Xianbei, and Southern Xiongnu tribes. The Silk Road, which had been passed down for hundreds of years, was thus severed.

Now that this gift list has appeared, its value is far more than the many gifts written on it, and the meaning contained in it is far beyond what money can measure.

Liu He couldn't wait to ask: "Where are these envoys now?"

"A total of twenty-one countries in the Western Regions have sent envoys, including Qiuci, Jingjue, Cheshi, Weixu, Qiemo, Wusun, Dayuan, Pulei, etc. These envoys have entered the court with Governor Cui and are now staying in the inn in the city."

"Good." Liu He clapped his hands in celebration. "Pass the message down. These people are special envoys from the state. Tell the inn not to neglect them. Arrange a seat for them at the celebration in two days."

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I have joined the foreign envoys in presenting gifts."

Qian Li's words made Liu He very satisfied.

"When the Tao is accurate, nothing is inaccurate."

"Your Majesty, I have another idea." Xun Yu said.

"Oh? What clever plan has Wen Ruo come up with?"

Xun Yu smiled slightly. "In my humble opinion, the Western Regions have come to pay homage to us for a very deep reason. They are seeking the protection of the Han Dynasty and trading with it, but they may also be trying to test our strength. If the Han Dynasty is indeed strong and rich, they will naturally be willing to submit to us. Otherwise, they will inevitably leave us and even join forces with the enemy of the court. It is not impossible."

Upon hearing this, Liu He also fell into deep thought.

He was still clear about the world situation of this era. Along with the Han Dynasty, there were three other empires, known as the four major powers in the world at this time, namely the Kushan Empire, the Parthian Empire, and the Roman Empire.

Among these three empires, the Kushan Empire and the Han Dynasty were separated by the Western Regions.

These small countries in the Western Regions are weak and must seek a big tree to rely on. If they are allowed to side with the Kushan Empire, the Kushan Empire will inevitably increase in strength, and there is no guarantee that it will not have ambitions to covet the Central Plains in the future. That would be very bad.

"Hmm... What Wen Ruo said is indeed something I had not expected. So what good plan do you have?"

Xun Yu said: "This matter is simple, Your Majesty may do this..."

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and on this day, the Queen Mother's birthday banquet was officially held.

In the evening, in the Yongle Palace of the North Palace, there were sounds of harps and flutes, brocade fluttering in the wind, rows of seats arranged in an orderly manner, and teams of waiters hurrying to and fro.

"The Queen Mother, the Emperor, and the Empress have arrived..."

When Gong Saner's sharp voice sounded, all the ministers became more energized.

"Your Highness, Your Majesty, wish you the best of health."

"No need to be polite, please stand up and take your seats. Today is just a birthday celebration for an old lady like me. This is not a court ceremony, so there is no need to be too formal."

Xu was so happy that her eyes almost narrowed into slits.

"Thank you, Queen Mother." All the ministers stood up and then came to their seats one after another.

"Presenting a birthday greeting."

Gong Saner shouted, and then a middle-aged man who looked like a scholar stood up. He held a scroll of brocade in his hand and began to read a birthday petition, which was nothing but words of praise, saying how virtuous Xu was, how she raised Liu He with great difficulty, and how she stabilized the harem and so on.

It was just that this memorial was written in a slightly more colloquial language, without so many ornate words. But when Xu heard it, she was very happy.

"Haha, this guy has a really sweet mouth. Compared to those people who speak in flowery language every day and I can't understand them, he is much better. Come here, there is a reward."

"Thank you, Queen Mother, for your reward." The man took a plate of gold ingots and retreated happily.

Next, many princes and princesses wished the Empress Dowager a happy birthday, followed by Guan Yu and other adopted sons of the Empress Dowager. Then it was the turn of the three dukes to represent the other officials in wishing her a happy birthday. After all the process, Xu was so pleased that she couldn't stop smiling.

At this time, Liu He glanced at Gong Saner, who immediately understood and shouted at the top of his voice: "Send the envoys from the 21 countries in the Western Regions, including Qiuci and Jingjue, to the audience..."

(End of this chapter)