Chapter 132: The Land of a County

"I'm afraid that what Censor Ma said is just like what the King of Yan said. Read М"

Yuan Hang glanced at the official without any fear.

This man was from the Ma family of Qinzhou, named Ma Yuan.

He served as a censor in the Censorate, and he was always outspoken and dared to remonstrate, so he was nicknamed "sharp tongue."

Emperor Zhao Heng was often lectured by him because he indulged in wine and sex.

Sometimes, when Zhao Heng's imperial carriage met him, he would go around him to avoid being disturbed again.

In addition, he was also impartial to his own clan, the Ma family, and when he scolded him, he was more harsh than scolding other powerful families.

For this reason, he and his brother, Qinzhou Governor Ma Xuan, had always had an unfriendly relationship.

Zhao Heng was delighted when he saw Ma Yuan's fate.

"Since ancient times, censors have reported to the emperor based on what they heard, so why do they need to provide evidence? If Minister Yuan wants to provide evidence, the court can send people to Yan County and Fanyang to investigate the case, and they will definitely find evidence." Ma Yuan stared at Yuan Hang and raised his head.

Yuan Hang felt depressed.

He could only bear what Ma Yuan said.

More importantly, he felt guilty. If the court really investigated the matter, it would be bad for the Yuan family.

The Sixth Prince shut up immediately after hearing this.

He just wanted to protect his uncle, but if it got out of hand, it would be bad for him.

Zhao Heng was very happy when he saw this.

He knew that the Yuan family was difficult to shake. Even if Yuan Li was taken down, the next governor of Yanzhou would still be a member of the Yuan family or a close confidant of the Yuan family.

Because in Fanyang, you can't be a governor without the support of the Yuan family.

Instead of doing this, it's better to use this matter to scare the Yuan family and secretly cut the meat of the Yuan family.

So he said: "Let's put this matter aside for now, and talk about the reward for the King of Yan first."

He said this to tell the officials of the Yuan family that he had the matter of Yuan Li's assassination of the King of Yan in his hands.

It's just a matter of his mind whether to investigate or not.

If you continue to be ignorant, I will make you look bad.

After a pause, he said solemnly: "When the Prince of Yan went to Yanzhou, I wanted to give him two counties, but he was suffering from a brain disease at that time and could not manage such a large fiefdom. Now that he has made such a contribution, I will give him another county."

"Father, you are wise." Zhao Gang said again, "The Prince of Yan can still hit the Northern Di with one county. If he has two counties, the Northern Di will no longer be able to invade Yanzhou. With General Mo guarding the Yan Pass, Yanzhou will be safe."

"Since it is the fiefdom that originally belonged to the Prince of Yan, it is right to give it to him." The third prince said.

He had already learned the emperor's intention from his uncle.

And the fact that the emperor promoted the mother of the Prince of Yan from a noble lady to a concubine overnight was enough to show his thoughts.

He wanted to use the Prince of Yan to form a three-legged situation in Yanzhou, weaken the strength of the Yuan family in Yanzhou, and stabilize Yanzhou.

In the past, Yanzhou was as solid as a rock, and no force could reach into Yanzhou.

The ministers could not move the Yuan family no matter how much they shouted, so they gave the Yuan family face and only cursed a few words in the court, but did not provoke them.

But unexpectedly, the Prince of Yan established himself in Yanzhou.

"Your Majesty is wise." Many ministers echoed in unison.

Zhao Heng nodded with satisfaction.

He was quite proud. If the Ninth Prince had not been crazy at that time, how could Yuan Li tolerate the Prince of Yan to go to Yan County.

But he did not expect that the Prince of Yan would give him such a big surprise when he arrived in Yan County.

Sometimes he even felt that there was a will of heaven in the dark.

God bless the royal family.

It was because of these thoughts that he liked the Ninth Prince who was far away in Yanzhou more and more.

His mother also liked him more and more, so he was happy last night and made her a concubine.

This was also to show his feelings to the Prince of Yan.

Seeing that most of the ministers were leaning towards him, he said, "In that case, pass on my decree. From now on, Shanggu County will be included in the fief of King Yan."

"Shanggu County." The Sixth Prince breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this.

Yuan Hang and the Sixth Prince looked at each other and felt relieved.

Among the remaining six counties in Yanzhou, Shanggu County is adjacent to Jinzhou, and Jinzhou is facing the threat of Xiliang.

If they must take one of the six counties of the Yuan family, Shanggu County is acceptable to them.

Zhao Heng has been paying attention to the expressions of the Sixth Prince and his vassal Yuan family officials.

Seeing their brows relax, he nodded slightly.

He also considered giving Shanggu County to King Yan.

First of all, Shanggu County is adjacent to Yan County, and it is unrealistic to give King Yan an enclave.

Of course, Ping County is adjacent to Yan County.

However, Ping County has Yanguan located and Mo Di guarding it, so there is no need for King Yan to intervene.

Secondly, he did this to avoid angering the Yuan family too much and maintain the overall situation in Yanzhou.

Finally, since the King of Yan had made such a great contribution, he could be rewarded with a county of land, which would also make him remember his imperial grace.

Zhao Heng seemed to have suddenly lost interest in the matter of the reward.

He yawned and gave Liang Cheng a look.

Liang Cheng then shouted: "If there is something, please report it, otherwise, please leave the court."

The ministers all knew the character of this emperor.

They bowed together and saluted, "Farewell, my emperor."

After seeing Zhao Heng off, the ministers left in twos and threes.

…

Xiyan Palace

Mi Yunxi was a little overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of Empress Xie.

Since the noble lady was promoted to concubine, the entire harem seemed to be enthusiastic towards her.

"Thank you, my lady."

Mi Yunxi sat down on the chair, and the queen's maid immediately served her tea.

Empress Xie sat down next to Mi Yunxi, drank a sip of tea and said: "Today's morning court, the prince spoke for the King of Yan, and the emperor was happy and rewarded the King of Yan with a piece of land."

"There is this matter?" Mi Yunxi's fair and beautiful face showed a hint of joy.

After the King of Yan went to Yan County, he was like a fish in water, so she was naturally happy.

"It is absolutely true, you can ask someone to find out." Queen Xie looked at Mi Yunxi seriously for the first time.

She had to admit that Concubine Mi was indeed dignified and beautiful. Even at this age, her skin was like a girl.

If she had not come from a poor family, I am afraid she would have been favored by the emperor early.

"In this case, I will thank His Royal Highness the Crown Prince on behalf of the King of Yan." Concubine Mi said.

Queen Xie smiled lightly. She naturally had her own calculations when she mentioned this matter in front of Concubine Mi.

Her unpromising legitimate son lost a good position as the Crown Prince.

Now every time she asked her trusted ministers outside to mention the restoration of the Crown Prince's position, she would be opposed by the court officials.

Among them, the second and third princes made the most noise.

The mother of the second prince, Concubine Han, came from the Qizhou Han family, one of the eight powerful families.

They also colluded with the Yuan family of Yanzhou and had strong power in the court.

The mother of the third prince, Concubine Dou, was from the Dou family of Jingzhou. Her uncle was the prime minister of the current dynasty, and he was powerful in the court and the country. She was also difficult to deal with.

Although her mother's family, the Xie family of Ningzhou, was also one of the eight powerful families, known as the grain of the world, the Xie family accounted for five of them, and the family was located near the capital.

She was not afraid at home, but she always lacked help outside.

Because of this, she and Dou Wei were both planning to attack Yanzhou.

In the past, they always kept an eye on Mo Di.

But now, there is another King of Yan. Being in the palace, she thinks she is closer to the water than Dou Wei.

So she became enthusiastic about Concubine Mi, and even wanted to call her sister.

"You don't have to thank me. As the eldest son of the emperor, the prince takes care of the King of Yan just because of the brother's love for his younger brother. As long as the King of Yan remembers the kindness of his brother, the prince, it's enough." Queen Xie gave the maid next to her a look.

The maid left and brought a tray of jewelry in a short while, "These are all things I like, I give them to my sister."

"How can I do this?" Concubine Mi raised her hand to resist.

Now, even if she was stupid, she understood what the queen meant.

But thinking that her son was far away in Yanzhou and there was no one in the court to pass on his message, it might not be a bad thing to be on good terms with the queen.

So she said: "I will write a letter to the King of Yan in the next two days to let him know that the queen is thinking about him in the capital."

Empress Xie smiled with satisfaction when she heard this.

Concubine Mi continued: "The King of Yan has some small businesses in the capital. I am incompetent, and I hope the queen can take care of them more."

She knew that Yan County was poor, and this business was a very important income for the King of Yan.

Now living deep in the palace, the only thing she can do is to use the situation in the court to escort the business of the King of Yan and her son.

...

Jinling, Zhouqiao Street, Yan County Business House.

When a team of silver-armored cavalry stopped in front of the store, Dong An trotted out to greet them, causing the waiting merchants to complain.

"Chen Hu!" Dong An came to the door and held Chen Hu's arm very hard.

"Master Dong." Chen Hu laughed.

Meeting his colleagues under the command of the King of Yan in Jinling, a place originally from Yan County, Chen Hu felt quite happy as if he were from the same hometown.

Dong An was so excited that tears were about to flow.

After learning that Chen Hu had entered the capital, he had been looking forward to his coming.

"Is your highness doing well in Yan County?" Dong An asked, pulling Chen Hu into the business.

Chen Hu smiled, "It's fine. Didn't we capture the king of the Black Iron King's Tent?"

Hearing this, Dong An laughed and asked, "A few days ago, people in the capital said that your highness was bragging. Now they have nothing to say, right?"

"Of course, the emperor gave your highness a piece of land as a reward in the morning court." Chen Hu had already received the imperial edict and was about to return to Yan County.

When he came, the King of Yan asked him to go to the merchant company and visit the officials of the merchant company on his behalf.

So after the morning court, he came here directly.

"The fiefdom?" Dong An was very surprised, "This is much more precious than silver."

Chen Hu nodded, a little regretful, "It's just Shanggu County, and it has always been a brother in distress with Yan County. I'm afraid that this fiefdom will not only be useless, but also become a burden."

Dong An understands power and intrigue better than Chen Hu, and he has come into contact with many dignitaries in the capital during these days, so he can understand the reason why the emperor did this.

He said: "You don't understand this. This is just the emperor's balancing technique. It not only allows His Highness to get benefits, but also does not overly stimulate the Yuan family and let him do rebellious things. However, the most important thing about this matter is that if there is a second, there can be a third. If the King of Yan makes another extraordinary achievement in the future, maybe..."

Dong An said this, Chen Hu suddenly realized, "Yes, yes..."

The two talked about Yan County again and talked about the trade of the merchant company in the capital.

Finally, Chen Hu said, "Does Dong have any message for His Highness? It's getting late. I'm leaving soon. I'd better tell His Highness the news as soon as possible."

Dong An was reluctant to leave. He touched the wound on his head.

That was the scar left by someone who wanted to kill him one night but failed.

He smiled and said, "Please tell His Highness that Dong is very comfortable in the capital and will not disgrace the reputation of the business. It would be better if the business could have more goods."

"Okay." Chen Hu bowed his hands, "See you next time in Yan County."

After that, he strode away.

After getting on the horse, he bowed to Dong An again and led his troops to the north of the city.

Dong An watched Chen Hu leave with reluctance in his eyes.

But at the same time, a courage rose in his heart.

If these royal soldiers could fight for their lives in Yan County, he could also use his life in the capital to exchange for the prosperity of the business and provide a steady stream of silver for the King of Yan.

At the same time, in Yan County, Zhao Xu encountered trouble at this time.

After a period of silence, the Yuan family finally chose to retaliate.