Chapter 907 Fourth Mistress Gives Birth

All drowned.

Nian Yao took a deep breath,
a smile appearing on his face,
and said:

"They simply didn't have the good fortune to enter the capital and witness the majesty of His Majesty, the Emperor of Yan."

"Perhaps this is just the impermanence of the world. Please, accept my condolences."

"Yes, this servant understands."

The emperor left,
with Eunuch Wei following.

Grand Eunuch Nian sat back down, silently picking up his bowl and chopsticks, continuing to eat, but he ate less of the dishes and drank more wine.

Returning to the imperial study, the emperor took a cup of tea from Eunuch Wei and took two sips.

Outside, Eunuch Huang had been waiting for a long time;
but the emperor was in no hurry to call him in.

Wei Zhonghe stood respectfully by his side. The longer he served this new emperor, the more Eunuch Wei felt like he was going back in time.

In fact,
everyone in the inner palace was a little surprised.

"A new emperor, a new court," this saying wasn't so direct when it came to outer court officials, as there had to be a transition and appeasement. But when it came to inner court servants, it was an undeniable reality.

Outer court officials still had to be given face, but inner court servants, being mere house slaves, knew their place.

Yet Eunuch Wei, even if he was just kept on during the new emperor's transition period, had been kept on for far too long, hadn't he?

Eunuch Zhang, who had come from the emperor's pre-accession residence, had instead been sent out on errands.

In truth, only Wei Zhonghe himself knew that he, this servant, and His Majesty were becoming increasingly compatible.

The new emperor, sitting on the dragon throne, had previously resembled his father, but now, he often gave Wei Zhonghe a feeling of déjà vu, as if the late emperor hadn't passed away and was still sitting there, reviewing memorials.

And he, who had served the late emperor for most of his life, was becoming more and more adept at assisting the new emperor; they were both getting used to each other.

Since they were used to it, there was no need for a replacement.

However, Eunuch Wei didn't have any smug complacency about "still being in favor;"

Throughout history, the glory of eunuchs often came when the emperor was weak or easily manipulated. But both of his masters had been insightful rulers, so a servant could only be a servant, and had to be careful even when pouring a cup of water.

The emperor put down the memorial in his hand,
and reached out to rub his brow;

Wei Zhonghe immediately took out the "Mind-Awakening Dew" and presented it to the emperor.

The emperor looked at the Mind-Awakening Dew, produced in Eastern Jin, but didn't use it. Instead, he smiled.

"Your Majesty, what are you smiling at?"

The emperor was lonely, but he was also a person. He needed to talk, and the eunuch by his side had to be able to discern when the emperor wanted to speak, and then offer an opening.

"I'm laughing at how that Zheng actually handed over Nian Yao's wife and children. That fellow has never changed; he's always been so petty."

"Honestly, my empress and imperial concubines aren't as difficult to deal with as he is."

"At least,"

"they don't dare to give me attitude."

"But that Zheng dares."

"And not just once or twice, but every chance he gets. When he's unhappy, he doesn't even bother listening to my explanations; he just throws a dirty rag right in my face."

Eunuch Wei chuckled, following the emperor's tone, and said:

"This just shows that the Prince of the West values Your Majesty as his closest confidant."

"Closer than his wife?"

"Uh…" Eunuch Wei paused.

Although there had always been such an atmosphere in Jin,
Eunuch Wei wouldn't dare to make such a joke in the Imperial Palace of Yan.

In Yan,
to joke that the emperor and the Prince of the West, these two most magnificent beings in Yan, were having a *longyang* affair, that was truly like the Old Man of the South Pole eating arsenic (courting death).

Some things the emperor could say himself, and, hmm, the Prince of the West could say, but if an outsider said even half a word, it would be a death sentence.

The emperor shook his head,
and said:

"The literati of Qian like to be verbose, talking about the relationship between ruler and subject, that the ruler is the ruler, and the subject is the concubine, the concubine serving the ruler;"

"Heh, that sounds a bit nauseating, but it does point out the essence of the relationship between ruler and subject."

"But in my case,"

"especially between me and Zheng Fan,"

"I always wonder who is the one inside the house?"

"This…"

"He fights battles outside, and I stay at home to gather supplies for him. When he's done fighting, he comes back and sprawls out in his Prince's mansion. He does the flashy things when he feels like it, showing off, but all the tedious and troublesome things, he throws them all to me to handle?"

"Damn it,"

"that Zheng has probably thought of me as the housewife taking care of the home since a long time ago."

Eunuch Wei remained expressionless, not daring to add even a single interjection.

"Eunuch Wei."

"This servant is here."

"I once asked you, if the Phoenix Nest Inner Guard were to take someone away in the capital, what level could they take? You told me that it was possible for those below the third rank, but those above the third rank would have no chance."

"Nian Yao is still alive, living in my Great Yan Imperial Palace; this in itself is not a secret."

"So, what kind of protection do you think Nian Yao's family had in Yingdu?"

"Your Majesty is wise. This servant was also taken aback when he learned of this news."

"Not to mention that my Great Yan Secret Spy Agency isn't as deeply rooted outside as the Silver Armored Guards and the Phoenix Nest Inner Guard. Hmm, of course, I understand the reason for this situation. In the early years, my Secret Spy Agency suffered from the decline of imperial power, coupled with the establishment of local clans. It wasn't until my father's reign that the Secret Spy Agency was completely unleashed, just like doing business. In the early stages, if you want to set up this stall well, you have to have a step-by-step process."

"But…"

Wei Zhonghe's forehead began to sweat profusely, and he immediately knelt down.

"This servant has failed to manage his subordinates strictly. This servant is guilty!"

"Tsk…" The emperor sighed, "Wei Zhonghe, I haven't finished speaking yet. Get up first."

"Yes."

Eunuch Wei stood up again.

There was too much harmony between them, and some processes weren't deliberately omitted, but naturally forgotten because of mutual understanding.

"So, I can understand that the Secret Spy Agency is currently not as good as the Silver Armored Guards and the Phoenix Nest Inner Guard. I'm not someone who acts impulsively."

"But what I can't allow is,"

"being stupidly sold off by others and still happily counting the money there."

"What I can't allow even more is,"

"still writing memorials here to ask me for credit with self-satisfaction!"

*Plop.*

Eunuch Wei knelt down again,
and said again:

"This servant has failed to manage his subordinates strictly. This servant is guilty!"

"Wei Zhonghe, it's no wonder that Zheng submitted a memorial saying that the Secret Spy Agency is useless, and it's no wonder that he generously excluded the Secret Spy Agency from Eastern Jin. What reason or excuse do I have to say anything when these good-for-nothings do something like this?"

"Your Majesty… Your Majesty…"

"Nian Yao is already here with me. What's the point of keeping his orphans and widows around? Why not do someone a favor and send them over? Anyway, the Chu Kingdom won't lose anything;"

"Hmm, it's so bad that it can't get any worse, so it can indeed be called 'not losing anything'."

Saying this,
the emperor lowered his head slightly,
looking at Wei Zhonghe kneeling there,
and asked softly:

"Eunuch Wei."

"This servant is here."

"Was the order to rescue Nian Yao's wife and children issued by you?"

"This servant wouldn't dare. Your Majesty, this servant is wronged, this servant wouldn't dare!"

The emperor looked at Wei Zhonghe and said nothing.

After Wei Zhonghe shouted his grievance, he began to say:

"But this servant, this servant did discover that it was the people below who speculated on Your Majesty's intentions and made their own decisions. After this servant discovered it, he did not stop it."

"Speculating on my intentions?"

The emperor chewed on these four words,
then,
his eyes flashed,
and he scolded:

"They don't deserve it!"

"I'm just playing with that Nian Yao, so what? They think I want to support this former Chu general again to compete with the Prince of the West?"

"Back then, Nian Yao, who was a genuine Chu general, was defeated and lost his power by Zheng Fan;"

"Now,"

"Nian Yao, without Luan Zi, can stand up again?"

"Did he have a sudden enlightenment?"

"Did he have a *tihu* initiation?"

"Did he ascend to immortality?"

"If that's the case, then becoming a famous general would be too simple; just cut yourself off, or every country's palace would be full of famous generals?"

"How stupid do they think I am,"

"to support an outsider, a defeated general, a eunuch,"

"a Chu person,"

"to compete with my Great Yan's Prince of the West!"

"Is this really praising Nian Yao,"

"or insulting that Zheng!"

The emperor's anger was very strong,
Wei Zhonghe knelt down;
the palace maids and eunuchs outside had also knelt down long ago.

"That Chu person let you send Nian Yao's wife and children here just to see a joke, but this joke has really been seen by him."

"What makes me angriest is,"

"that Zheng knew that I couldn't be so stupid,"

"but still handed them over in such a grand manner;"

"If he wanted to kill them, he could have done it in Eastern Jin long ago;"

"No,"

"he didn't kill them,"

"first, he was too lazy to kill them,"

"second, he was lazy,"

"he just threw them to me,"

"to make me dirty my hands!"

*Bang!*

The emperor slapped the imperial desk.

"Wei Zhonghe, put down the affairs of the Secret Spy Agency and hand them over to Lu Bing. I'll give him three years, and I want to see results. Tell him I want him to give me a military pledge to see!"

"Your Majesty…" Wei Zhonghe raised his head, looking at the emperor with some horror. He was a house slave and shouldn't offend his master, but Lu Bing already had a force in his hands. If the Secret Spy Agency was handed over to him, wouldn't the emperor's eyes and ears all be controlled by Lu Bing alone?

The emperor lowered his eyelids,
and snorted,
and said;

"I want to use this move to tell the world that I have already gone to pieces. The way of checks and balances is bullshit. I never intended to play this kind of self-righteous trick."

"Your Majesty is wise, this servant obeys the order, this servant will immediately notify Lu Bing to do the handover."

"Are the matters in the cabinet still being blocked?"

The emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, the reply from the Grand Secretaries of the cabinet is that they fear it will cause panic."

Basic reforms have already been carried out, whether economically or politically, but the emperor's ideas don't stop there.

During those years as a prince, what he thought about most was how to further enrich the country and strengthen the army on the basis of his father.

Neither Yan nor Jin was as rich as Qian, but as long as the court could gather more power, it would be enough to keep this behemoth of Qian breathless.

But when reforms go deep, they will inevitably touch the interests of some people, and this part is generally in high positions and has extremely strong influence.

Not to mention that after the sweeping of the clans, the shadows of the resurgence of clan forces have already existed in the court and in the localities.

Moreover, because of his father's intense actions, which directly swept away the main forces in the country, some weeds took the opportunity to grow out again.

Not only that,
the appeasement policies implemented in the past to appease Jin should also be dealt with. There is no reason why the clans in Yan have been destroyed, and the masters in Jin can continue to lie on the "stability maintenance" books and continue to live leisurely lives;

Making trouble deserves a beating, and it's wrong to have sugar to eat if you don't make trouble. The reason why I gave you sugar to appease you before was because I couldn't spare the time to slap your ass.

After the destruction of the barbarian royal court, the power of Great Yan began to penetrate into Beifeng County, and on the edge of the desert, a policy of changing the soil and returning to the stream began.

First, relying on the influence of Great Yan and the power of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion that still exists, the desert tribes are re-divided and recognized. At least, these barbarian tribes close to the Great Yan area should bathe in the benevolent brilliance of Great Yan;

At the same time, barbarian tribes began to absorb and migrate into the interior.

But this time, it won't be sent to Eastern Jin, after all, the road is far away...

His eldest brother is a barbarian son-in-law, so send him to Nanwang City to fill the strength there.

The reform of the old order in Beifeng County must also be promoted. The originally intricate local forces must be cleared this time. The western part of Great Yan, the original strategic fortress, will be heavily built into a Jiangnan outside the Great Wall in the future.

These are all plans on the macro level, but each plan may cause turmoil. Too radical reforms often lead to extremely strong backlash;

But for the emperor, what he wants is that five years later, Great Yan will have the power to launch at least a war to destroy one country;

So,
instead of taking care of the rotten flesh and hoping that it will get better on its own, it is better to simply cut it clean in one breath, and it will grow better in five years.

"The Grand Secretaries of the cabinet often say that governing a big country is like cooking a small fish, afraid that I will be too enterprising and cause domestic chaos, hehe."

The emperor casually placed his arms on the dragon chair behind him,
and said:

"In the past, it was just vague, but only after sitting on this dragon chair can I truly feel what the essence of power is, Wei Zhonghe, do you understand?"

"This servant... How can this servant understand these things."

"No, you understand, you understand."

"Your Majesty... This servant doesn't understand, really doesn't understand, Your Majesty!"

"Do the adopted sons and grandsons under your command dare not listen to you?"

"Your Majesty, this servant deserves to die, this servant will go back and reprimand them, how dare they use this servant's name..."

"Okay, okay, it's your custom to adopt sons and grandsons, and I don't bother to care about that. What I mean is, do you think they dare not listen to you, the ancestor?"

"In response to Your Majesty, they... dare not."

"Yes, they dare not, because if anyone doesn't listen to you, Wei Zhonghe can order that ungrateful thing to be beaten to death with a rod."

Hearing the words "beaten to death with a rod," Wei Zhonghe's shoulders couldn't help but tremble.

"There are people in this world who are not afraid of death, I know, but no one is born with the intention of dying."

"It's the same with being an emperor,"

"it's the same."

"Those officials of Qian, in fact, this one is already pretty good. Father also said that he is one of the few officials who can be put on the table in Qian for several generations."

"We outsiders can see the problems of Qian clearly, there is no reason why that official is a fool himself, but he can only take it slowly, like an old glutton, cooking a small fish bit by bit, thinking carefully every step he takes, to put it bluntly, he has to look at the faces of all parties in everything he does, begging grandpa and grandma, tsk tsk."

"But here with us,"

"my father, doesn't need to;"

"because Father has the two kings of the North and South;"

"I,"

"don't need to either,"

"because I have the Prince of the West."

"Pass the word to the cabinet,"

"push my strategies down as soon as possible."

"When the time comes,"

"if there are troubles in the locality, I will let the Prince of the West go to the locality to quell the rebellion;"

"If there is trouble in this capital,"

"I will open the gates of the capital myself,"

"and invite the Prince of the West to enter the capital to help me clear the court!"

"Hahahaha!"

The emperor laughed happily.

After laughing,
the emperor waved his hand,
and said:

"Let him in."

Eunuch Huang came in.

"Your Majesty, this servant is ordered to lead the family of the Prince of Fu to thank you for your grace."

"Alright, there's no need to thank me for my grace. Since that Zheng has already greeted me, and the conferment ceremony is ready, let this family pack up, and you will escort them to Fengxin."

"This servant obeys the order."

Eunuch Huang went down.

The emperor shook his head,
and said;

"Wei Zhonghe, have you seen her?"

"Ah, this servant doesn't know what Your Majesty means?"

"It's that concubine of the Prince of Fu."

"In response to Your Majesty, when the family of the Prince of Fu was escorted into the capital, this servant once went outside the city gate to greet them under Your Majesty's order, and I did see her."

"If Your Majesty wants to see her, you can summon her."

"If Your Majesty feels it is inconvenient, you can also ask the Empress to issue an imperial decree to summon her."

"Forget it, it's inconvenient for me to summon her, after all, she is a woman reserved by that Zheng."

"However, I want to ask you, what does that concubine of the Prince of Fu look like?"

"Your Majesty, you are embarrassing this servant, how does this servant know whether a woman is beautiful or not."

The emperor gave Wei Zhonghe a meaningful look;
Wei Zhonghe lowered his head and immediately said:

"A national beauty, a national beauty."

"Hehehe."

The emperor played with the jade thumb ring in his hand,

"That Zheng's life is really carefree,"

"A beast."

…

"Achoo!"

In the backyard of the Prince's mansion in Fengxin City, the prince, who had just finished practicing his sword, sneezed three times in a row.

"Damn it, who is thinking about me?"

"My lord, that's hard to say, the girls in our Fengxin City are all thinking about you."

"Don't force yourself if you can't flatter. You're making me feel weird. Didn't Blind come back just now? Go learn from him."

"………" Xue San.

At this moment, Ke Shi hurriedly ran to report; "Your Highness, the First Madam asked this servant to inform Your Highness that the First Madam feels that she will give birth in an hour."

"Oh, I'll go now."

Ke Shi added; "The First Madam also said that she asked Your Highness to take a bath before going, she is afraid of being smoked by the smell of sweat during childbirth."

"Uh…" Zheng Fan could only nod, "Okay."

His wife was too capable, she could even do such precise predictions, and even made requests for the layout of the delivery room and the placement of flower pots.

Seeing the master go to take a bath.

Xue San reached out and patted Fan Li's knee beside him,
and asked;

"A Li, guess if this one is a boy or a girl?"

"Boy."

"Why?"

"First child, Blind didn't come back; this child, he rushed back."

Xue San didn't react for a moment,
he opened his mouth and thought for a while before he understood;

What does Blind like to do most?

Rebel!

Just look at how Blind is raising Tiantian, but Tiantian is somewhat illegitimate.

So,
without a clear intention to rebel, Blind's hope can only be pinned on the next generation.

And only a son, a son is the object of everyone's expectations.

So Blind didn't come back for the first child, maybe when the eldest son was born, he stayed in Nanmen Pass and continued to socialize.

As a result, he rushed back in a hurry this time, and returned in the middle of the night this morning.

This is definitely not because Blind has any different feelings for Fourth Mistress or this child. The devils are very concerned about this child, and they also value this child of Fourth Mistress, there is no doubt about it;

But it doesn't mean that you have to rush back to witness its birth so hard, it's the same to see it later.

In addition, Blind is more particular about things and pays attention to the plot in life, which is only stronger than his own master, why did he have to rush back with a mouthful of dust?

He is sure that this child is a boy!

Others can't be sure,

But he can!

Xue San cursed:

"Damn it, we even thought about what names should be given to boys and girls a while ago;"

"I also asked several people under my command to help me think of a few."

"I forgot that,"

"there has always been a B-ultrasound machine at home."