Chapter 580: Northern Qi Sends Envoys to the South
Although, Su Mingzhe has decided to delay the Northern Expedition for a year.

However, there are some things that require preparation in advance.

It is often said in military books: Attacking the heart is better than attacking the city; psychological warfare is better than military warfare.

Following Su Mingzhe's order, 800,000 troops began to be stationed on the border between the two countries, reclaiming wasteland and training soldiers, ready to march north at any time.

Faced with the 800,000-strong army of Nanqing approaching, Northern Qi had to be cautious.

In May and June, the busy summer season, the farmers of Northern Qi put down their farming tools, picked up their weapons, and rushed to the front lines to serve.

On this day, the general Uesugi Tora stationed at the border came to report:
Because there were too many troops stationed on the border, the soldiers and food supplies were consumed too quickly.

The food and fodder originally prepared for three months was almost consumed in one and a half months, so the court was asked to reallocate food and fodder again to supply military needs.

The young emperor of Northern Qi told the ministers the contents of Shangshan Hu's memorial and said coldly:

"My dear ministers, this great general is asking for more food and fodder. Let's discuss this."

As soon as the ministers heard that they needed food and grass, the Minister of Revenue came out and reported:

"Your Majesty, the river flooded in July, and more than 30 prefectures and cities were affected this year. Although the court allocated 100,000 or 600,000 taels of silver for disaster relief, this year's summer and autumn taxes are still not optimistic. In addition, the amount of money and grain allocated by the Ministry of Revenue to support the frontier troops this year is more than twice that of last year. This year's treasury is really unable to support such a large military expenditure..."

As the Minister of Revenue spoke out a lot of data, the little emperor turned his head and smiled at a noble lady beside him:

"Mother, the Minister of Revenue said that there is no money left. What should we do?"

The noble lady was the Queen Mother of Northern Qi, who usually held all the power. When she heard the little emperor's almost 'teasing' words, she couldn't help but feel angry, but she could do nothing about it, after all, this was her own child:
"Shen Qingjia, you have always been resourceful. The Ministry of Revenue is out of money. Can you give me some advice?"

Jinyiwei Commander Shen Zhong was called upon to speak, and he smiled bitterly in his heart:
"I am just a spy chief. What's the point of looking for money with me?"

However, Shen Zhong was Shen Zhong after all, and he was smart and clever. In a blink of an eye, he came up with an idea:
"Queen Mother, Your Majesty, how to allocate grain and fodder is something that the Minister of Revenue needs to worry about. I don't have any ideas. But I have thought of a way to make Nanqing stop provoking trouble on the border."

"any solution?"

When the Queen Mother heard that Shen Zhong really had a solution, she was overjoyed.

The ministers in the court also looked at Shen Zhong in surprise, but they were secretly muttering in their hearts:
"I'm afraid Shen Zhong is bragging. Nan Qing wants to use the strategy of tiring out the troops. This is an open conspiracy. Shen Zhong is a spy chief. What good solution can he come up with?"

In response to the suspicious looks from the ministers, Shen Zhong said calmly:

"I request that you, the minister, speak alone!"

The Queen Mother thought for a few seconds, then nodded slowly and said:

"allow!"

The next day.

The Queen Mother of Northern Qi suddenly issued an edict, ordering Zhuang Mohan, the master of Northern Qi's literary world, as an envoy to go to Nanqing to negotiate peace.

When the news came out, the people of Northern Qi felt relieved.

Zhuang Mohan was a literary master of his generation. He was a leading figure in the Northern Qi Dynasty not only in terms of literary realm, but also in terms of talent and character.

Even in Nanqing, there were hundreds of scholars who came to study under him.

Some people even call him a "half-saint".

Today, the great literary master Zhuang Mohan is going on a diplomatic mission to Nanqing. If Nanqing does not want to be cursed as stinking dog shit in history books, it can only treat him with courtesy.

Stopping provocations on the border is the most basic thing.

The ruler and his ministers of Nanqing must also protect Zhuang Mohan well and not allow him to show any weakness in Nanqing.

Just when the news that Zhuang Mohan was going on a diplomatic mission to Nanqing reached the court of Nanqing.

Su Mingzhe summoned important officials to discuss countermeasures.

Chen Pingping sighed first and said:
"Your Majesty, I have heard that Shen Zhong is very resourceful. He used this trick of turning the tables really well. If we want to win the support of the people of Northern Qi after we destroy them, we must treat Zhuang Mohan with courtesy."

"I second the proposal."

Minister of Rites Guo Youzhi also stood up and said:

"Your Majesty, it is said that Zhuang Mohan has 72 disciples in his lifetime, and another 3,000 scholars claim to have learned from him. Even within the borders of Qing, hundreds of people traveled to Northern Qi to learn from him. We cannot be disrespectful to such a person who has come to Daqing."

Most of the other ministers also had the same attitude.

Seeing this, Su Mingzhe nodded, indicating that he was willing to follow suit:
"Since everyone agrees, then issue an order to General Qin, Governor Wang and others to suspend the strategy of exhausting the troops at the border. Also send fifty Tiger Guards to the border to escort the Northern Qi delegation to Beijing."

Seeing Su Mingzhe's arrangement, all the ministers said respectfully in unison:

"Your Majesty is holy."

Afterwards, the ministers dispersed.

Su Mingzhe found an excuse to take a rest, quietly left the palace, and came to a back garden behind the imperial prison.

There are two pretty beauties here, playing chess with black and white chess pieces.

Among them was a pretty lady with a melon-shaped face, wearing a plain blue long skirt with a double-breasted collar. She held her chin with her hand and pursed her lips, with a dazed look in her eyes, and she looked obviously absent-minded.

Another oval-faced beauty, with a pair of large grapefruits hidden in her chest, was wearing a purple right-fronted waisted long skirt. She was staring at the chessboard with wide eyes, and had been thinking hard for a long time.

Su Mingzhe watched the two girls concentrate on playing chess and they didn't even notice he had entered the yard. He waved his hand to signal the maidservants serving beside them to leave, and he walked over to the side and sat down. He suddenly reached out and hugged the two beauties in his arms, kissing them hard while they were soft and sweet.

After the two beauties screamed, Su Mingzhe teased:

"You guys seem to be quite free, are you so obsessed with playing chess?"

"Forgive me, sir."

When the oval-faced beauty saw that it was Su Mingzhe, her long eyelashes trembled a few times, and she lowered her head to hide her previous emotions. However, when the oval-faced beauty saw that it was Su Mingzhe, her eyes were full of surprise, and she went after Su Mingzhe in broad daylight.

Su Mingzhe was intimate with the two girls for a while, then said with a smile:

"Qing'er, Meng'er, there is something I need you to do for me."

"Sir, please speak."

When Yuan Meng, who felt like she was going to get sick from being idle, heard that there was a task, she immediately perked up.

They were thrown into the imperial prison during the Mid-Autumn Festival last year, and it was not until November when a general amnesty was declared that Yuan Meng and Shi Qing'er, as vassal forces of the King of Pingnan, were "released" from the imperial prison.

Yuan Meng and Shi Qing'er, who were "released", did not gain freedom.

Because before the two women surrendered to King Pingnan, they were daughters of convicted officials.

The so-called release and freedom was nothing more than being moved out of the imperial prison, and then being placed under house arrest by Su Mingzhe in his own secret garden.

From November last year to August now.

For more than half a year, the two women have been helping Su Mingzhe with his work.

For Shi Qing'er, since she has Su Mingzhe, a big boss, as her backer, she should be more content. It would be best if she could give birth to a few children for the man, and then enjoy a peaceful life for the rest of her life.

The only woman, Yuan Meng, is restless. Living in this small courtyard is making her feel suffocated to death.

Su Mingzhe told the two girls what he was going to do:
"In the near future, the Jinyiwei of Northern Qi will send people to Jingdu City to investigate. I will leave the pleasure boat on Liujing River to you two to manage. You must help me find the people. If you can do this job well, I can ask for credit from my superiors and make the Imperial Prison independent from the Internal Supervisor Department, so that the Imperial Prison can be comparable to the Inspection Office and the Internal Supervisor Department."

Shi Qing'er was somewhat disapproving after hearing the man's "dream".

In her opinion, power is something that only needs to be sufficient. There is actually no point in climbing so high.

Yuan Meng's eyes sparkled:

"Sir, I promise to find out who is from Northern Qi!"

"Then I'll wait for your good news."

When Su Mingzhe heard Yuan Meng's promise, a slight smile appeared on his face.

He valued Yuan Meng and Shi Qing'er's abilities, which is why he kept them by his side for more than half a year.

Now, after more than half a year of getting along, the three of them have already developed feelings for each other, and Su Mingzhe also believes that they are already satisfied with him and are willing to help him.

"My Lord, I just learned a piece of music. Why don't I go to your room and sing it for you?"

Seeing that both girls had lustful looks in their eyes, Su Mingzhe had already been tempted.

Then, he hugged her left and right and walked into the room and started to taste the big pomelo.

Shi Qing'er didn't lie. Her voice was particularly clear and charming today.

The Mid-Autumn Festival in August is just a few days away.

It has been a year since Su Mingzhe ascended the throne and became emperor.

Under his governance, Nanqing's national fortunes were on the rise, and it seemed that it would conquer the world and unify the country again.

The civil and military officials in the court were relatively honest and efficient.

The six ministries and nine ministers, as well as all the prefectures and cities, were all going smoothly and with good weather and good harvests.

Occasionally there would be flood disasters, but with the unity of the court, they were resolved early.

Unfortunately, even in such a prosperous era, there are still some shortcomings.

Last year, the empress dowager selected more than a hundred beauties to enter the palace for the new emperor. The new emperor Su Mingzhe was considered diligent, but there was no effect.

Almost a year has passed, but among more than a hundred beauties, not one is pregnant.

Su Mingzhe said there was no rush, and the Imperial Medical Bureau was unable to find out what was wrong.

Ultimately, one can only attribute the issue of having a baby and getting pregnant to bad luck.

Return to the imperial study in Weiyang Palace.

Su Mingzhe dealt with the memorials for a while. As it was getting dark, a eunuch reported that the Queen wanted to see her.

"Xuan."

Fan Ruoruo entered the imperial study and bowed slightly: "Your Highness, I wish you the best of health."

"Well, Ruoruo, you don't have to be so polite."

When Su Mingzhe saw Fan Ruoruo, who was wearing a white dress and simple makeup, looking pure and lovely, he quickly waved and motioned for her to sit on the dragon throne with him.

Fan Ruoruo had been married to Su Mingzhe for more than half a year. She had no taboos in her daily life. She walked to the dragon throne with lotus steps and let the man hold her arm and sit down.

Fan Ruoruo's waist is as thin as a willow branch, barely wide enough to be held in one hand.

The two of them sat side by side on the dragon throne, which seemed quite spacious, with room for at least one more person, Lin Wan'er.

Upon seeing this, Eunuch Hou hurriedly took the palace maids and eunuchs from the imperial study and left.

When only Su Mingzhe and Fan Ruoruo were left in the imperial study, Fan Ruoruo finally spoke about her purpose:

"Your Majesty, the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching. According to the old rules, we should show mercy to the concubines in the harem, either by letting them return home to their parents' homes or by summoning their families to visit them in the palace..."

(End of this chapter)