Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

Chapter 206 Even if the Northern Kingdom had another hundred years, it still wouldn't have developed.

News of the internal strife in the Great Wu quickly spread throughout the Great Xia Dynasty. Upon hearing that there was internal strife in the Great Wu, the powerful families within the Great Xia Dynasty immediately panicked.

If the external pressure on the Great Xia disappears, the Xia Emperor will likely take action against the aristocratic families next.

In a short time, all the major families within the Great Xia territory began to prepare. Some families colluded with the vassal kings, while others chose to unite with the princes. As long as the Xia emperor dared to take action against the families, they planned to overthrow him and replace him with a new emperor.

However, for a period of time afterward, the Great Xia suddenly became calm and peaceful, and the Xia Emperor seemed to have no intention of taking action against the aristocratic families.

Not only did the emperor not mobilize the army on a large scale, but he also appointed the eighth prince, Lu Shuyun, as the crown prince. This made the powerful families of Jiangnan extremely happy, as they thought that the emperor was planning to completely compromise.

A month later.

North Palace.

Lu Chen looked at the news from the capital in his study, feeling somewhat puzzled. His father should also know that there were problems in Da Wu and Da Qian, so why hadn't he taken action yet?

Instead of taking action against the powerful families, they made the Eighth Prince the Crown Prince, which seemed like a compromise with the powerful families of Jiangnan.

Could it be that his father, the emperor, intends to take things slowly and that establishing a crown prince is merely a smokescreen?

Although now is the best time to take action against the aristocratic families, their power is already deeply intertwined with the Great Xia Dynasty. Eliminating the ancient aristocratic families would be like scraping the bone to remove poison.

Although now is the best time to eliminate the ancient aristocratic families, the matter of dealing with them should be handled gradually.

Lu Chen, in any case, did not believe that his father had completely given up on taking action against the aristocratic families.

Just as Lu Chen was staring blankly at the intelligence report sent from the capital, Wu Yuan came to the study door and said, "Your Highness, Prince Qi has sent an envoy to Yancheng."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen paused for a moment, put down the intelligence report in his hand, and then said, "Prince Qi? Which Prince Qi?"

Wu Yuan reacted instantly and said, "It's your royal uncle."

The pronunciations of Prince Qi and Prince Qi are similar. Lu Shuyun is Prince Qi, while the other Prince Qi is Lu Chen's uncle, a vassal king with a fief. Lu Chen had just thought that Lu Shuyun had sent another envoy.

Upon hearing Wu Yuan's words, Lu Chen asked curiously, "Why did he send an envoy?"

The fiefdom of the King of Qi was right next to the Northern Kingdom, located just to the south of the Northern Kingdom.

Wu Yuan replied, "It's most likely because of the refugees."

Upon hearing Wu Yuan's words, Lu Chen seemed to understand something. A smile appeared on his face, and he said, "Bring that envoy to my study."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Soon, Wu Yuan brought a middle-aged man in a gray long robe into the study.

Upon seeing Lu Chen, the man immediately bowed and said, "Your subject Liu Zhong greets the King of the North!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen laughed and said, "An outsider? We are all subjects of the Great Xia, how can you call yourself an outsider?"

"Could it be that my royal uncle has other ideas?"

Although they were all under the same dynasty, ministers between vassal states could refer to themselves as foreign subjects. Lu Chen was obviously aware of this as well. He was just joking to see how Liu Zhong would react, which could also be considered a test.

Liu Zhong did not show any panic on his face. He said calmly and respectfully, "Your Highness is right. It was my fault. When I return, I will confess my guilt to the King and ask for his punishment."

Lu Chen didn't intend to continue the topic. He asked directly, "Speak, what does my royal uncle want with you?"

Liu Zhong replied, "Your Highness, I have heard that there is a lot of wasteland in the North, but there is a lack of people to develop it. Recently, Your Highness has been worried about the population. Fortunately, a lot of refugees from Xiwu County have come to Qi Kingdom. I plan to send these refugees to the North to help Your Highness reclaim the wasteland."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen immediately laughed and said, "My royal uncle really has a good plan. What do you mean by helping me reclaim wasteland? In my opinion, your Qi Kingdom clearly doesn't want to take in those refugees, thinking they are a burden, so you want to send them to the Northern Kingdom."

Liu Zhong said calmly, "Your Highness is mistaken. Qi Kingdom is currently well-fed and prosperous, and it has no problem receiving the refugees from Xiwu County. My king intends to send them to the Northern Kingdom, but only to improve relations with the Northern Kingdom. That is why I am taking the initiative to help Your Highness."

Lu Chen said, "I appreciate the kindness of your Qi Kingdom. Since your Qi Kingdom is willing to accept those refugees, then let them stay in your Qi Kingdom."

"The northern country is poor and can't even feed its own people, let alone have enough food to feed the refugees."

Liu Zhong remained calm and said, "Your Highness, please rest assured. My king said that if Your Highness is willing to take in those refugees, the Qi Kingdom will provide their food rations for a year."

Upon hearing Liu Zhong's words, Lu Chen said, "Oh? My royal uncle is so kind? He even prepared food for those refugees? Will your Qi Kingdom just send them over and then abandon them?"

Liu Zhong replied, "The refugees' rations and the refugees themselves will be sent to the Northern Kingdom. When the Northern Kingdom receives the refugees, they can first count the rations."

Lu Chen understood that the refugees from those three counties were causing immense suffering to the Qi Kingdom; otherwise, the Qi Kingdom would never have been in such a humble position.

Lu Chen stopped haggling and decided to take his profits. The amount of food the refugees needed for a year would be enough to help them get through the year safely. Once the corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes were ripe, feeding the refugees next year wouldn't be a big problem.

Seeing that Lu Chen did not speak, Liu Zhong assumed that Lu Chen still did not intend to agree, so he continued, "Your Highness, before I left Qi, my king discussed with the grain merchants of Qi. If the Northern Kingdom is willing to accept those refugees, the Northern Kingdom will purchase grain in Qi at the price before the outbreak of the war between Da Xia and Da Wu, and Qi promises that it will not raise prices within a year."

Lu Chen thought to himself, it seems that the refugees have seriously affected the local landowners and aristocratic families of Qi Kingdom, otherwise they would not have been able to meet this condition.

Seeing that Lu Chen still didn't speak, Liu Zhong frowned. He wondered if the Northern King was still unwilling to agree, and whether this was too greedy.

Everyone can see that the Northern Kingdom needs people right now. The Qi Kingdom is sending people and food, and has already lowered its stance so much. If the Northern Kingdom still refuses, then it would be ungrateful.

Just then, Lu Chen said, "Considering that Prince Qi is my royal uncle, I will give your Qi Kingdom some face. Refugees can be sent to the Northern Kingdom, but those refugees must not be shortchanged by a single grain of food for a year. I will arrange for the army to receive them."

Seeing that Lu Chen had agreed, Liu Zhong breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "Of course."

Lu Chen then said to Wu Yuan, "Commander Wu, Lord Liu has come from afar, so we must treat him well."

Wu Yuan immediately replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

Liu Zhong then said, "Thank you, Your Highness. I shall take my leave."

Afterwards, Wu Yuan left the study with Liu Zhong. Once they were gone, Lu Chen immediately sent someone to summon the officials of Yancheng to discuss the matter of receiving the refugees.

The number of refugees in those three prefectures must have been enormous, easily in the hundreds of thousands; otherwise, the Qi Kingdom wouldn't have paid such a high price.

The northern land is plentiful and mostly wasteland, so arranging for the refugees is not a big problem. However, managing them is not easy. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss how to settle these refugees and where it would be best to place them.

……

at the same time.

The capital of the Great Xia Dynasty, the Eastern Palace.

Prince Lu Shuyun was handling some government affairs in his study when his retainers entered one after another.

Upon seeing them arrive, Lu Shuyun put down what he was holding and said, "Recently, a lot of refugees have come to the capital. My father has asked me to deal with them, but I haven't found a good solution yet."

Solving the problem of displaced people was the first political task that Lu Shuyun took over after becoming the crown prince. He had to handle this matter well, otherwise he would inevitably be impeached by the other princes in court.

Therefore, Lu Shuyun summoned all his retainers, and at this time, some aristocratic officials from the imperial court also appeared in Lu Shuyun's study.

At this moment, the Vice Minister of Revenue said, "Your Highness, the land within the Great Xia territory has long been distributed, and it is difficult to find other land to settle so many refugees. Therefore, I suggest that all these refugees be moved to the Northern Kingdom to avoid causing chaos."

"The northern lands are mostly wasteland, and the northern lands are short of people. I believe the Northern King would be happy to accept those refugees, and in this way the problem of refugees can be easily solved."

Upon hearing these words, Lu Shuyun frowned slightly.

When the Northern King was mentioned, he thought of what Wang Yong had told him not long ago: the Wang family had sent assassins from the Lingwu Pavilion to kill the Northern King, and so much time had passed, yet there was still no news.

At this moment, Lu Shuyun turned to Wang Yong and asked, "Wang Yong, is there any news about that matter?"

Wang Yong said, "Your Highness, there is still no news. I went to Lingwu Pavilion to inquire, and their people did not receive any news from the Northern Kingdom either. Su Teng and his group disappeared after they went to Yancheng."

Lu Shuyun pondered for a moment. Su Teng was, after all, a Grandmaster of the Extreme Realm. How could he disappear after going to the Northern Kingdom?

Moreover, during this period, many aristocratic families have sent assassins to the Northern Kingdom, but the Northern King is still alive, while the assassins have all disappeared without a trace.

How many experts are around the Northern King?

At this moment, a retainer in the study said, "I do not recommend that Your Highness send the refugees to the Northern Kingdom. If the Northern Kingdom develops, it will definitely be a great threat to Your Highness."

Although the refugees in those three prefectures are indeed a big problem, if these refugees are all sent to the northern country, the northern country may become an even bigger problem in the future.

The fact that so many powerful families within the Great Xia Kingdom sent so many assassins but failed to kill the Northern King proves that the Northern King has now established a firm foothold in the Northern Kingdom. If he were to take in so many more people, the Northern Kingdom would surely experience further development and expansion.

Upon hearing the retainer's words, the Vice Minister of Revenue said, "Young Master Li's concerns are not without merit, but the Northern Kingdom is currently lacking in food and clothing and simply cannot support such a large population. The migration of these refugees to the Northern Kingdom will only create more chaos. I believe it is unlikely that the Northern King can manage these refugees effectively."

"Moreover, this is the first political matter Your Highness has dealt with since becoming Crown Prince. The most urgent task is to resolve the rebellion of the displaced people. I believe that the problems of the Northern Kingdom are not something we should be considering right now."

"Moreover, the Northern Kingdom has already taken back all the land ownership to the Northern King's Palace. These refugees will not be able to get any land even if they go to the Northern Kingdom. Sooner or later, these refugees will rebel. This will actually be more beneficial for the court to deal with the problems in the Northern Kingdom in the future."

After listening to the Minister of Revenue's words, Lu Shuyun felt that there was some truth to them. Although there were a lot of refugees from the three prefectures this time, which could replenish the population of the Northern Kingdom, it was precisely because there were too many people that the Northern Kingdom could not manage them. This would only bring trouble to the Northern Kingdom.

Such an impoverished vassal state certainly cannot support such a large population. In addition, the imperial court has now decided to abandon the Northern Kingdom and will no longer intervene in any difficulties it faces. As long as these refugees migrate to the Northern Kingdom, internal strife in the Northern Kingdom is only a matter of time.

Thinking of this, Lu Shuyun said, "Lord Qin is right. If I cannot quickly resolve the rebellion of refugees within the Great Xia territory, I will inevitably be impeached by the ministers. This is the first political matter I will deal with after becoming the Crown Prince, and it must be resolved as soon as possible."

"As for the North, not only is the North poor, but the winters are also quite long, and they can't even solve the problem of food and clothing. Even if you give the North another hundred years, they still won't be able to develop."

Seeing that Lu Shuyun had made a decision, the people in the study stopped saying anything more.

Everyone understood that for their faction, now was not the time to consider how to deal with the Northern Kingdom. Lu Shuyun had only just become the Crown Prince and needed to make some achievements, otherwise he would not be able to silence the ministers.

If he can't even quickly resolve a rebellion of displaced people, then what kind of prince is he?

Time flies, and another half month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The Northern Kingdom, the Hall of State Affairs.

Today's small court meeting mainly discussed the matter of the Northern Kingdom receiving refugees over the past two weeks. Prince Qi kept his word, not only sending refugees to the Northern Kingdom but also sending a considerable amount of grain. Moreover, Lu Chen also instructed the Northern Prince's Palace to expedite the purchase of grain in the Qi Kingdom over the past two weeks.

Lu Chen sensed that a civil war was about to break out in the Great Xia, which would cause the price of grain to rise. It was a rare opportunity for the Northern Prince's Mansion to buy grain at the price before the war broke out.

Many granaries have now been built in Yancheng, specifically for storing grain.

As the small court assembly was drawing to a close, a member of the Imperial Guard entered the main hall. "Your Highness, there is an urgent report from the capital."

Upon hearing this, the people in the hall instantly fell silent.

Lu Chen, who was in the main hall, said, "Bring it here."

The Imperial Guards then placed the intelligence report in front of Lu Chen. Lu Chen picked up the report, opened it, and carefully read it.

After a while, he put down the intelligence report in his hand and said to the officials in the hall: "The imperial court has decided to relocate all the refugees from the three prefectures to the northern country. The imperial edict will arrive in Yancheng in a few days."

Upon hearing this, a great deal of discussion immediately broke out in the hall.

At this moment, Li Rui asked, "Your Highness, is the imperial court going to supply grain to the Northern Kingdom?"

Lu Chen chuckled and then said, "Grain? Lord Li is joking. When the court transferred Lin Xiuming's 20,000 troops back last time, it said that the court would no longer provide any aid to the Northern Kingdom, including grain."

There was a chapter where I was reported for driving, speechless...

(End of this chapter)