The High Gate Mistress of Rebirth

Chapter 145 Emperor Ming's Favorite Eight Princesses
After Li Ling returned, he arranged the defenses of the various military fortresses on his southward journey, and brought Zhou Jin into the palace to return to the Ming Emperor.

Emperor Ming took the military report from Li Ling, and he carefully looked at the military situation that his nephew had sorted out, with a satisfied smile gradually appearing on his face.

Emperor Ming closed the military newspaper, looked at Li Ling and asked, "Based on Boyue's opinion, when should we recover the five cities of Gunzhou?"

Li Ling replied: "After the loss of the five cities of Gunzhou, the Chaozhou and Nanjun areas became isolated cities. The Gaoshan Kingdom is eyeing them, and when the time is right, they will definitely raise troops to capture them."

Emperor Ming nodded.

Li Ling continued: "It's just that in recent years, Nanjun has suffered from natural disasters for many years. The people have not enough to eat, and the military pay is also insufficient. Now the morale of the city defense and the army is low. If you want to take back the five cities of Gunzhou, I think you must first strengthen the Nanjun area. For the city, pay the army enough to improve the morale of the soldiers. Only when the morale of the soldiers muster up and attack the Central Army and Chaozhou Nanjun garrison from north to south can the five cities be recaptured."

The military salaries in the cities of Daqi are partly issued by the imperial court, and the other part is to be handed over by the local states and counties to feed the soldiers.

Years of natural disasters in Nanjun area, the rich and powerful are vying to enclose land, the common people can't fill their stomachs, they can't even pay the court's rations, and there is no spare energy to support the local army.Soldiers can't get paid, so how can they have the strength to fight.

Hearing Li Ling's words, Emperor Ming nodded slightly, and replied: "I know about this situation, and I will find a way to raise money as soon as possible to pay for the army over there."

Li Ling cupped his hands deeply and said: "If this is the case, when the military pay in Nanjun is sufficient and the morale of the soldiers is raised, it will be the time when the five cities of Gunzhou will be recovered."

Ming Emperor Long Yan was very happy, stroked his palms and said: "Good! Then I will order you to be the commander and take back the five cities."

Li Ling replied solemnly: "I am determined not to disgrace my mission."

In the Imperial Study Room of the Palace of Qinzheng, the monarchs and ministers are discussing the plan to regain the country.Outside the Palace of Qinzheng, a young girl was happily playing with Emperor Ming's pet dog.

This girl is Emperor Ming's favorite eighth daughter, the eighth princess born out of Concubine Meng Gui, named Qing Yuan.

The eighth princess fiddled with the snow-white lion Cong for a while, and then lost interest. She said impatiently to Li Dequan, the head of the house, "When will the father and emperor finish talking? This princess has something to do with him."

Seeing that the Eighth Princess was displeased, Li Dequan's face immediately turned into a flower. He squinted his eyes and coaxed: "The Holy Majesty is discussing important matters with General Li and General Zhou. Princess, please wait patiently. It will be over in a while."

The eighth princess pouted and said displeasedly: "Father is so busy that he can't stop. I don't know if the matter of building a palace for me that I mentioned to him last time, did Father take it to heart."

Li Dequan hurriedly coaxed the princess and said: "You are the jewel in the palm of the Holy Majesty, but the Holy Majesty will not agree to whatever the princess asks. In this matter, there is no one who can pick the stars and the moon. If there is, even if the princess wants The stars think of the moon, the Holy Majesty also ordered someone to bring it to the princess, right?"

Li Dequan was trying to make the Eighth Princess happy, while Li Ling and Zhou Jin came out of the imperial study one after the other.

The eighth princess hugged the lion Cong, stood outside the Palace of Qinzheng, glanced at the backs of the two leaving, and asked Li Dequan, "Who is that person following behind the son of the Li family?"

Li Dequan hurriedly approached him respectfully and said, "The little general is the only son of Marquis Zhongshun and Princess Lanling, and his name is Zhou Jin."

"Zhou Jin? Zhou Jin! Zhou Jin—" The eighth princess muttered these two words, and she glanced at the handsome figure with a smile on the corner of her mouth.

It wasn't until Zhou Jin's figure was no longer seen that the eighth princess came back to her senses. She threw down the Lion Cong, and the pet dog was suddenly thrown on the ground. But without even looking at it, he stepped into the imperial study.

When Emperor Ming saw his beloved daughter come in, he put down the memorial in his hand, with a loving smile on his face, and asked, "You are not studying in Shangshuyuan at this hour, what are you doing here?"

The eighth princess pouted and came to Emperor Ming's side, complaining: "Those things taught by the Tai Tuo and the female officials are so boring, my daughter doesn't like it."

Emperor Ming angrily said to his beloved daughter, "Just because you don't like it, you don't want to learn?"

The eighth princess replied with a sullen face, "My daughter is already old enough to be an adult, so does the emperor want me to learn this and that?"

After the princess reaches Jiji, she will discuss marriage. When she gets married, she will leave her parents, so how can she be so happy.

Seeing his daughter's displeasure, Emperor Ming spoiled him and said: "Since you don't like it, then don't learn. The emperor doesn't restrain you."

Only then did the eighth princess smile again, she looked at Emperor Ming and asked: "My father promised to build a palace outside the palace for me a while ago as a gift for my daughter, but is it still worth it?"

Building a new palace is not a small expense. Emperor Ming recalled that he had just agreed with Li Ling to allocate military pay for the soldiers of Nanjun. He patted his daughter's hand and replied, "Didn't you just build a palace for you the year before last? Jiji gift, just exchange it for something else."

When the eighth princess heard this, she quit immediately, her mouth pouted again, and she complained: "The palace my father built for me the year before last was too small, and my daughter got tired of playing with it. I want a bigger one. At least it can’t be worse than the deer garden of the imperial aunt.”

As she said that, she pulled Emperor Ming's cuffs and begged: "You are not joking, the emperor promised his daughter to build a splendid palace for me as a wedding ceremony. You are the emperor, do you still want to break your promise to your daughter?"

Emperor Ming comforted his daughter and said: "You and Qingluan are both princesses who have just reached Ji, and I built a palace for you, but not for her. Those officials will say that I treat one more than another. Don't go."

When Qingluan was mentioned, the eighth princess became angry, and she said with a sullen face: "Father refused to agree to me because of this. Ninth sister has the support of the Duke of Zhenguo behind her, so father can do whatever is good for her." Since father is so fond of Jiumei, then let her be your good daughter, and I won't bother father anymore."

Saying that, the eighth princess flicked her sleeves, turned around and was about to leave.

Emperor Ming quickly grabbed his daughter, comforted her patiently and said: "No one in this palace or outside the palace knows that you are my most beloved child. It's just that the treasury is short of money, and when the treasury is full, the emperor will build another one for you. A bigger and better palace, when the time comes, my father will collect all the rare treasures in the world and put them in the palace, only for my beloved daughter to have fun, okay?"

Even though Emperor Ming coaxed me like this, the eighth princess was still relentless. She threw her father away willfully, crying and said, "Father, don't be perfunctory. It’s Jiumei who is following.”

Saying so, the eighth princess ran out of the imperial study room crying angrily.

(End of this chapter)