Chapter 1419 Battle between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law!

After An Miaoyi finished speaking, Ye Cui also looked deeply at her daughter-in-law.

Although Ye Cui had already realized her daughter-in-law's thoughts from An Miaoyi's words just now, when she really heard An Miaoyi's thoughts, Ye Cui felt both surprised and a little surprised!
When Jinyu was a few years old, she was bought by Ye Cui as a maid. As Jinyu grew up, she became more and more graceful. Ye Cui treated her as her personal maid because Ye Cui had no daughter and only one son, Ye Mingsheng.

Therefore, when Ye Mingsheng was not around, although the little girl Jinyu was nominally a maid, in Ye Cui's heart she was treated as half her own daughter!

Although Jinyu has no powerful backers in the palace, no one dares to bully Jinyu because everyone knows that Queen Mother Ye Cui is Jinyu's biggest backer!

When Ye Mingsheng first became emperor, all the women in the harem, except An Miaoyi and Pei Zhixiu, were fighting for positions like crazy. However, only Jinyu had secured a position as a concubine early on.

If it weren't for the fact that Ye Mingsheng said that only those with offspring could be promoted to the position of noble concubine, and if Jinyu was forced to the position of noble concubine, she might become the target of public criticism, which would be bad for Jinyu's situation in the palace. Ye Cui would have directly wanted to push Jinyu to the position of noble concubine!
But even so, Ye Cui did not completely give up the idea of ​​sending Jinyu to the position of imperial concubine.

First of all, Ye Cui still hoped that Jinyu would give birth to a child. Even if it was a daughter, she could legitimately be promoted to imperial concubine. So she found many famous doctors to treat Jinyu, and asked her son Ye Mingsheng to accompany Jinyu more often...

But seeing that Jinyu really didn't have this blessing, Ye Cui could only settle for the second best. She thought that Ye Mingsheng would have sex with that palace maid, and that the maid would be lucky enough to give birth to a child and give it to Jinyu to adopt. In this way, she could save the country in a roundabout way and allow Jinyu to be promoted to a noble concubine!
However, Ye Mingsheng was busy with official duties and had not visited any palace maids recently. It was impossible for Pei Zhixiu, Bai Yuanyuan, and Murong Qingwu's children to be given to Jinyu, so Ye Cui's move was declared a failure!
Although both the legitimate and indirect means of saving the country have failed, Ye Cui, who "loves her daughter dearly", still has not given up. She hinted to An Miaoyi some time ago that she should take the initiative to bring up this matter to Ye Mingsheng, and then she can add fuel to the fire from behind!

But An Miaoyi pretended not to understand and never responded to the question!

Now, several months have passed, and An Miaoyi, who had previously pretended not to understand, now took the initiative to bring up this matter!
Although Ye Cui didn't know what An Miaoyi was planning, she was very clear that the reason An Miaoyi came up with this idea was definitely not because Jin Yuan had done his duty and made great contributions as she said.

Thinking of this, although Ye Cui was willing to take over this matter, she did not continue the conversation like An Miaoyi before. Seeing this, An Miaoyi could only curse the old fox in her heart and continued:
"Mom! Although I have such an idea, you also know that I am not Pei Zhixiu, and I don't have much influence in the heart of His Majesty. If this matter is to succeed, I still need your help!"

Seeing that An Miaoyi had made her point clear, Ye Cui also said calmly:

“Miaoyi, although we are not biological mother and daughter, I have always treated you as my own daughter. Just tell me what you think…”

An Miaoyi continued to speak after hearing this:
"Mom! I'm really doing this for sister Jinyu's own good!"

After saying this, she saw that Ye Cui was unmoved and clearly didn't believe her, so she had no choice but to tell him everything:

"Mother, this is the case. Concubine Pei was punished by His Majesty for what happened before and was deprived of her authority to assist in managing the palace. For this reason, Concubine Pei recommended Concubine Bai to take over. Although Concubine Bai is also very good, Concubine Shen keeps bringing up some of Concubine Bai's affairs, which makes the atmosphere in the palace a little tense!"

"I have always admired Sister Jinyu. Among all the sisters, Sister Jinyu has always been law-abiding and has served you, the Queen Mother, and Your Majesty well. So if possible, I hope that Sister Jinyu can assist me in managing the affairs of the palace!"

Although An Miaoyi was very tactful, Ye Cui carefully pondered the meaning of her words and gradually realized An Miaoyi's true intention and said:

"What does Qingwu think?"

When An Miaoyi heard Ye Cui mention Murong Qingwu's name, she realized that she had not hidden her thoughts from her grandmother and immediately said:
"Mother, managing the harem is a tiring job. Sister Murong is so uncomfortable with you meditating and worshipping Buddha. How can I bother her with these chores?"

Seeing that An Miaoyi said it without blushing or beating her heart, Ye Cui couldn't help but admire her daughter-in-law for being so hypocritical.

Then she weighed the pros and cons in her mind. Now it was clear that An Miaoyi wanted to help Jinyu take the position, but she was worried that Murong Qingwu would take away the power to assist in managing the affairs of the harem...
But does Murong Qingwu really want this power?

The answer is naturally self-evident.

Thinking of this, Ye Cui also weighed the pros and cons in her mind. After careful consideration, she gradually made a decision and said:

"Miaoyi, the ninth day of next month is Qingwu's birthday, right?"

Although she didn't know why Ye Cui suddenly brought this up, An Miaoyi thought about it and said:

"Mom! Yes, the ninth day of next month is sister Murong's birthday!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Cui nodded and said:

"If I am not mistaken, next month will be Qingwu's 30th birthday. Time flies so fast. In a blink of an eye, Qingwu has been in our Ye family for several years and has given birth to a pair of children for Mingsheng!"

"She has gone through a lot of hardships these days accompanying an old woman like me in chanting sutras and worshipping Buddha. I feel bad about it. This time on her birthday, I want to give her a good birthday present!" "Miaoyi, can you help me think about it and see if there is any good gift for Qingwu?"

Feeling the meaning of Ye Cui's words, An Miaoyi pondered for a while and asked tentatively:

"Mom, some time ago, the Pyu Kingdom sent us some jadeite, among which there were some very beautiful icy jadeite ores. You might as well give them to sister Qingwu as a gift. She has always liked icy jadeite the most..."

Upon hearing this, Ye Cui nodded and said:

"Miaoyi, this is a good idea, but if I remember correctly, His Majesty gave Qingwu Jade to Xiaoba on his first birthday a few months ago. Giving jade to him now is a bit stale!"

Hearing what Ye Cui said, An Miaoyi felt strange in her heart. She didn't know what Ye Cui meant. Just as she was thinking about it, Ye Cui took the initiative to say:
"Miaoyi! As the old saying goes, a good son's mother worries about him no matter how far he goes. Now Jingyan and the others are still young and can still live in the palace. In a few years, when they grow up, they will have to leave the palace and live on their own. By then, these children must have their own nest!"

As soon as these words came out, An Miaoyi understood what Ye Cui meant, and immediately said:
"Mom! There is a house on Fukang Street in West City that can be given to Sister Qingwu!"

"I know the location of that house is good, but it's a little small. I don't know if Qingwu and Jingyan like it!"

Upon hearing this, An Miaoyi understood what Ye Cui was eyeing and felt a little conflicted. Seeing this, Ye Cui was not in a hurry and took a sip of tea calmly.

After a brief moment of contemplation, An Miaoyi finally made a decision:

"Mom, you are right. The house on Fukang Street is indeed a little small. Then let's give the house on Antai Road in Dongcheng to Sister Qingwu..."

After saying this, although An Miaoyi still kept smiling on the surface, her heart was bleeding. The house on Antai Road not only had a good location, but also covered an area of ​​more than ten acres. It was the largest house under the name of the imperial treasury, and its market value was as high as tens of thousands of taels of silver.

An Miaoyi had personally visited this house before and liked it very much. She even wanted to find an opportunity to give this house to her younger brother An Tianyu, so that An Tianyu and her mother Yang could live in it and live more comfortably.

But An Miaoyi never expected that Ye Cui also had her eyes on this house and wanted to reward it to Murong Qingwu!
Even though An Miaoyi was very reluctant at this moment, she could still tell the difference between letting Murong Qingwu get the power to assist in managing the harem and then causing trouble for her!
Seeing that An Miaoyi agreed, Ye Cui also smiled and said:

"Miaoyi, as long as you agree to this matter! I will talk to Mingsheng about it. I also support you on this matter with Jinyu. It's time for Jinyu to become a concubine. It would be even better if she can help you!"

Seeing that Ye Cui finally agreed, An Miaoyi felt relieved. Although she paid some price, at least her goal was achieved. With Ye Cui's support, Murong Qingwu would have no chance to take advantage of her!

Having achieved her goal, An Miaoyi talked to Ye Cui for a while and then took her leave.

Watching An Miaoyi's leaving back, Ye Cui's eyes became even deeper. If she didn't want to help Jinyu become the imperial concubine, she would not agree to An Miaoyi this time. After all, An Miaoyi having too much power is not a good thing for anyone!
However, I have secured a large house in East City for Murong Qingwu this time, so I can shut her up...

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Yunqian, Yaonan Mountain
Zhang Meng was studying the map in front of him carefully. Although he had taken down the tough nut of the Xiong family in Yaonan Mountain, there were still the two major chieftains, the Mu family and the Li family. Only when he took down these three major chieftains could he return to Yijing to report to His Majesty!
Zhang Meng’s next target is the Li family in Jinzhi!
According to legend, the Li family was not originally named Li, but was a foreign ethnic group. Several hundred years ago during the Tang Dynasty, the emperor was in trouble and called on heroes from all over the world to serve the king. The ancestor of the Li family was the most dedicated and desperate, which moved the emperor. So he gave them the surname Li and made them chieftains of Yunqian for generations!
The Li family has been thriving in Yunqian for generations. The Li family is also the longest-lasting chieftain family among the three major chieftains in Yunqian. However, in a family civil strife twenty years ago, the two branches of the Li family fought each other, causing the Li family to fall into internal friction and even face the crisis of family destruction!
Fortunately, at this time, a young descendant of the Li family named Li Huan emerged, bridged the differences within the family, repelled the covetousness of the Xiong and Mu families, and preserved the family's vitality.

After ten years of recuperation, Li Huan led the Li family to not only regain the territories that were taken away by the Xiong family and the Mu family, but also seized a lot of territories from these two families, making the Li family the largest chieftain in the Yunqian area!
In the past ten years, although Li Huan has slowed down the pace of his family's military expansion, he has never given up on improving his family's combat effectiveness!
According to the investigation of the Coordination Office before the war, the Li family was able to organize an army of more than 30,000 soldiers, including a 3,000-man musket team. Although they were only equipped with relatively honest firearms such as three-barreled guns, bird guns, and tiger squat cannons, in the Yunqian area, this was already the leading armed force...

Although the Li family's fighting power is decent, in Zhang Meng's opinion, the Li family's capital is just so-so. It is even easier to take down the Li family than the Xiong family.

Although the Xiong family is far inferior to the Li family in terms of military strength, and is even only half as strong as the Li family, the problem is that the Xiong family's lair is on the mountain with natural barriers to rely on. Even if Zhang Meng wants to attack by force, it will take a lot of effort if the heavy artillery cannot be pulled up, so he can only use some tricks!
However, it is completely useless to attack the Li family. Jinzhi, where the Li family is located, is a rare plain area in Yunnan and Qian. On the one hand, this is a blessing for the Li family, as it ensures the Li family's food production and is the cornerstone for the Li family's rise and development.

But on the other hand, the plain without any natural barriers to protect it is also a risk to Jinzhi City controlled by the Li family, especially when facing a force like the First Army that carries heavy artillery!

Zhang Meng has already conducted an investigation through the Coordination Office. Although Jinzhi City is the largest city in the Yunqian area, its city walls are only two zhang high and three zhang thick.

With such a scale, Zhang Meng had no doubt that as long as the heavy artillery of the First Army was delivered, then under the cover of the heavy artillery fire, the flag of Daqian would be able to be planted on Jinzhi City in ten days!
If the Xiong family and the Li family are defeated, then only the Mu family will be left among the three chieftains of Yunqian. If the Mu family has any brains at that time, they will not resist stubbornly but will surrender voluntarily!

Zhang Meng had successfully won the military merit of capturing Yunqian. Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Zhang Meng's face. At this time, one of his lieutenant generals walked into the house and reported:

"Sir! The Li family has sent an envoy to see you..."

(End of this chapter)