Son of Heaven currently has no heirs. If Lü Lingqi has Dragon Heir, it will be Eldest Son; plus the support of his grandfather who has great military achievements, it will be difficult for him not to become Crown Prince in the future.
Lü Bu was thinking loudly in his heart.
After hearing this, Lü Lingqi felt that such things as jealousy and intrigue were completely out of her league, and she had no such intention at all, but in order to reassure Lü Bu, she still nodded.
After talking about this, Lü Bu felt relieved, and then he happily told her about the courtesy she received when entering the palace today.
"Your Majesty is an extraordinary favor to his father."
"Qi'er Do you know that when my father came to the palace this time, Your Majesty ordered Feathered Forest Guard to bow his head to his father and personally stepped down to greet him!"
"This is an honor and treatment that only Marquis of Changping Wei Qing has ever received in our Great Han history!"
When this matter was mentioned, Lü Bu felt filled with pride.
He can brag about this for the rest of his life.
This is why he is not worried at all that the existence of Empress Fu will threaten Lü Lingqi's rear position. Fu Family does not have such treatment as him!
"Yulin bows his head? Son of Heaven lowers his rank to greet us?"
Lü Lingqi's beautiful eyes are full of surprise.
Of course she understands the weight of this honor.
"Yeah."
Lü Bu said with emotion, "Since my father joined the army, no matter Ding Yuan, Dong Zhuo or Wang Yun, they have only used my father. Only Your Majesty is sincerely good to my father."
"When Luoyang was born, Your Majesty had great trust in his father, and now he has given him all the favors a father can have as a minister."
"As a father, how can I not try my best to repay Your Majesty?"
Having said this, Lü Bu paused and looked up at Lü Lingqi, "Qi'er, to be honest, as a father, it doesn't matter whether you are Empress or not."
"I can be the best, but if I can't be, we won't be too demanding. After all, Your Majesty is good enough for our Lü Family."
"As long as you stay well in the palace."
These last words are what Lü Bu is saying from his heart.
In the past, he was loyal to Son of Heaven for the position of Grand General, for his daughter to be Empress, and for Grandson to be Crown Prince, but now he feels that even without these, he still has to serve Son of Heaven loyally.
A scholar dies for a confidant.
He Lü Bu is not a capricious villain. He betrayed the master before just because Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo didn't treat him sincerely. But now Son of Heaven is completely different.
Don't treat him as a tool, don't treat him as a dog, but treat him as a minister!
So he must repay this kindness!
After listening to these words, Lü Lingqi's beautiful eyes were filled with brilliance. She nodded seriously and said, "My daughter understands, father."
Lü Bu smiled happily, drank the tea in a big gulp, then stood up and left.
Imperial Palace, Xuan Room.
While Lü Bu went to visit Lü Lingqi, Liu Xie summoned Guo Jia, Jia Xu, and Sima Yi to discuss the next attack plan against Yuan Shao.
Small matters are discussed in court, while major matters are discussed privately.
Sometimes some major decisions and strategies don't need so many voices. It can be discussed privately by a small number of people. When there are many people discussing it, it is easy for Yuan Shao to have endless arguments among the counselors under his command.
Originally Liu Xie only wanted to come to Jia Xu and Guo Jia for discussion, but Sima Yi proved his ability through the battle with Qing Province, so he is also qualified to participate.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Liu Xie said, "You can speak freely if you have any thoughts, Sima Yi. You can say it first."
Liu Xie gave the right to speak first to Sima Yi.
Sima Yi felt flattered by this, and at the same time he was also overjoyed, because he knew that this was Son of Heaven's trust and appreciation for him!
Suppressing the joy in his heart, Sima Yi thought for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty, now that Qing Province has been occupied, the three states have been opened up. The top priority is to integrate the forces and capture the entire territory of Ji Province."
"If Ji Province is unified, Yuan Shao will not be a concern."
At present, Ji Province only has three counties: Wei Commandery, Guangping, and Yangping under control, and the remaining territory still belongs to Yuan Shao.
However, with Qing Province, Xu Province as the backing, and Lü Bu rushing to help, Ji Province will have the confidence to attack other counties, and will no longer be as passive as before.
"It makes sense."
Liu Xie nodded slightly and approved Sima Yi's suggestion. At the same time, he turned his attention to Jia Xu and Guo Jia and asked, "Where are Fengxiao and Wenhe? What do you think?"
Guo Jia said, "Attacking Ji Province is indeed the top priority, but we still need to contain Yuan Shao's power and prevent him from getting involved."
"And Yuan Shao's reputation and reputation are still very good. Your Majesty might as well issue a Imperial Edict to ask Yuan Shao to surrender. If not, Yuan Shao's Rebel identity will be confirmed. In this way, the number of people supporting Yuan Shao will inevitably be greatly reduced."
The reason why Imperial Edict was not issued before was because the situation did not allow it.
But now I don't have so many worries.
In the future, Yuan Shao will compete for Ji Province or even the entire north. A battle between the two sides is inevitable, so it is necessary to have a famous division. It should be noted that Yuan Shao is still Grand General.
Guo Jia's suggestion suited Liu Xie. He nodded and said, "That's what I have in mind. Fengxiao you go and draft a decree for me and pass it on to the world."
"In addition, send an edict to Zhang Yan to continue attacking and harassing Yuan Shao in You Province... I will also give him the rewards I promised before, don't be stingy."
Liu Xie naturally also knows about the situation at You Province. In order to hold Yuan Shao down, Zhang Yan spared no effort and made great sacrifices.
If you want the horse to run, you have to feed it.
Liu Xie is not one of those capitalist vampires of later generations. The reward he promised to Zhang Yan will not be less at all, but will be doubled.
After all, you have to rely on Zhang Yan to continue to delay Yuan Shao. If you don't give me some benefits, why would you let people work for you?
"I accept the decree."
Guo Jia accepted the order.
After the matter was discussed, Liu Xie asked Guo Jia and Sima Yi to leave first, leaving Jia Xu alone.
After Guo Jia and Guo Jia left, Liu Xie said to Jia Xu straight to the point without any nonsense, "Wenhe, I have a decree for you. I can only rest assured if you do this."
Jia Xu was shocked when he heard this and said seriously, "Your Majesty please speak."
Son of Heaven left him alone to explain the matter.
It must be very important.
Liu Xie's eyes were sharp and he said in a deep voice, "I appoint you as Directly-Appointed Embroidered-Clothes Envoys, secretly Reorganizing the Embroidered-Clothes Envoys!"
He had long had the idea of re-forming Embroidered-Clothes Envoys, but his previous capabilities were insufficient, so the idea could only be shelved.
At present, he has occupied two states and three counties of Ji Province. His strength has undergone earth-shaking changes. He is fully capable of restoring the establishment of Embroidered-Clothes Envoys and forming a spy agency that integrates assassination, intelligence collection, and supervision of Court Officials, directly under Son of Heaven!
In his opinion, the only one who is qualified for this task is Jia Xu, who is the best choice in terms of means and loyalty.
Compared with Jia Xu, Guo Jia's methods are still somewhat insufficient.
"Embroidered-Clothes Envoys?"
Jia Xu's face changed slightly when he heard this, and all kinds of information about Embroidered-Clothes Envoys suddenly appeared in his mind.
This was a well-known special organization during the Emperor Wu era. It had a low official position but high power. Embroidered-Clothes Envoys was the leader of Embroidered Clothes, and Tiger Tally was responsible for the rule. Its main responsibilities were to "punish rape" and "punish prisons" under orders, and to supervise officials and nobles for extravagant, over-the-top, and illegal things.
Of course, he is also responsible for delivering and collecting intelligence, carrying out assassinations that are not visible on the stage, etc. He can be said to be elusive and omnipresent.
The Disaster of the Witchcraft Curse back then was run by Jiang Chong, then Directly-Appointed Embroidered-Clothes Envoys, which shows the terror of Embroidered-Clothes Envoys's power.
Liu Xie told him, "Embroidered-Clothes Envoys must choose someone with a clean family background, reliable ability, and absolute loyalty. I only want Elite Troops."
"Although this matter does not need to be rushed, it is time to start preparations now. I need to grasp the news from all over the world in a timely manner so that I can respond accurately."
Jia Xu looked resolute and replied in a deep voice, "I will definitely live up to Your Majesty's trust!"
He felt a little excited in his heart.
Son of Heaven asking him to come to Reorganizing the Embroidered-Clothes Envoys means that Embroidered-Clothes Envoy Organization will be handed over to him for management in the future. This is not only a heavy responsibility, but also a great trust and power!
Taihang Mountains, Black Mountain Army camp.
After experiencing a series of brutal battles, the whole camp is now a gloomy scene, and wounded people can be seen everywhere.
Although Black Mountain Army successfully delayed the return offensive of Yuan Shao's army, they also paid a heavy price. More than half of the young men in the camp were killed or injured, and basically everyone who survived was injured.
At this time, Zhang Yan was patrolling the camp with Wang Dang.
Seeing this miserable scene, he remained expressionless. He turned to Sun Qing, who had only one arm left, and asked, "How many troops are there left in the stronghold?"
Sun Qing's arm was lost in the battle. Even a high-ranking Black Mountain Army like him was so seriously injured. You can imagine how tragic the battle was.
"There are only more than 30,000 left..."
Sun Qing looked gloomy and couldn't help but sigh, "Boss, we really can't continue fighting. We are just exchanging lives for lives when fighting Yuan Jun."
"If the fight continues, all of us will be killed."
After so many wars, the fighting spirit in his heart has completely disappeared, and now he just wants to end it all as soon as possible.
Watching so many brothers die every day, he felt so uncomfortable that he didn't know when they would die.
Do we really want to fight everyone to death?
Zhang Yan said calmly, "Stop talking nonsense, send someone to keep an eye on Yuan Jun, and report to me immediately if anything happens."
After saying that, he strode away directly.
But at this moment, a group of people came towards him and blocked his way. They were a group of middle- and high-level managers and leaders from the Black Mountain Army.
Seeing them, Zhang Yan frowned.
His eyes narrowed even more.
The leader stood up and said to him in a deep voice, "Boss, we elected you as the leader of the village because you can fill your stomachs and survive with your brothers."
"But now you are asking your brothers to risk their lives for the high-ranking official and generous salary given by Imperial Court. What do you think of the lives of your brothers!"
Another person also followed up and said angrily, "That's right! Half of our brothers who fought hard to death, now except for that bullshit letter Imperial Edict, there is not even a hair left! Is this the way out you are looking for for everyone?"
"Imperial Court is basically lying to us and has no intention of recruiting us! He just wants us to fight to the death with Yuan Shao!"
"If you still want to fight with Yuan Shao, we won't accompany you!"
His words elicited responses from others.