People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1031 Ming Chongyan’s whereabouts, undercurrents surging
Spring comes in February, and the results are released in March.

Yuan Xigu, the second best scholar in the new department, is the nephew of Lang Yuan, the Wanqing clan.

"I am awarded the title of Lieutenant of Gucheng County. Let's go to Dingzhou." Empress Wu walked in the back garden where the buds were blooming, and casually looked sideways at Yuan Wanqing.

"Thank you, Queen." Yuan Wanqing bowed seriously, holding his breath and concentrating... The governor of Dingzhou, King Huo Li Yuangui.

"What has King Nanchang been doing recently?" Empress Wu asked seemingly casually.

"Reporting to the Queen of Heaven, after leaving Beijing, the King of Nanchang first arrived in Tianshui, where it happened to be snowing, then it turned to rain, and finally arrived in Hezhou. Along the Yellow River, he went up Jianzha, to Tongren, then to Guide, Guinan, and finally Arrive at Qugou, stay in Qugou for half a month, then return to Xinghai, and after another half month, go to Maduo, and the concubine Qu will stay in Xinghai."

Yuan Wanqing handed over his hand and reported Li Xuan's detailed whereabouts in Changzhou to Empress Wu word for word.

"What are you doing after staying in Qugou for half a month?" Empress Wu grasped the key point keenly.

At the beginning, Li Xuan wanted to set the Changzhou prefecture in Qugou, but later it was changed to Xinghai by the DPRK, and many actions were forced to stop.

Qugou is connected to Shanzhou in the north, Chaka in the west, the Yellow River in the east, and grasslands and mountains in the south.

Once Qugou is chosen as the state government, Li Xuan can do many things.

You can even accumulate strength faster.

But unfortunately, some people in the court also saw the key point of Qugou, so they rejected it directly.

Now that Li Xuan has been in Qugou for half a month, how can she avoid suspicion.

"The Empress Huitian." Yuan Wanqing said seriously: "The King of Nanchang built a tool station in Qugou to build special equipment and prepare to cross the Tongtian River."

"Oh, by the way, we are going to enter Supi this year." Empress Wu suddenly realized. After a slight pause, she continued to ask: "Does Supi really have so many gold mines?"

Yuan Wanqing nodded and said: "There are indeed gold mines in Supi, but the number is not that large, and all the gold dug out over the years has been sent to Luosu."

Empress Wu nodded slightly and said, "Keep a close eye. I want to know how much he gave to the court after winning the gold mine, and how much he kept for himself."

"Here!" Yuan Waqing bowed to accept the order, and then said: "The Turks have found a descendant of Prince Subi, a 20-year-old unmarried woman."

"Mrs. Feng Changguo, King Subi, assist King Nanchang to capture Subi." A smile appeared on Empress Wu's lips.

"Yes!" Yuan Wanqing twitched slightly. The King of Nanchang was famous for his loving husband and wife.

Last year, the Queen of Heaven bestowed upon the daughter of the Qu family as the concubine of the King of Nanchang. The King of Nanchang sent her to the palace and let the Princess of Nanchang train her for half a year. Later, the family became harmonious.

I don’t know how many people in Chang’an are envious and waiting to imitate them, but now...

"King Nanchang just pays attention to Su Pi, don't let him worry about other aspects." Empress Wu explained.

"Here!"

"What is the King of England busy with recently?" Empress Wu walked forward slowly and asked casually.

"While learning how to manage mountains and rivers, King Nanchang and Huang Rensu are both good at water conservancy. His Royal Highness is also planning to start from this aspect." After Yuan Wanqing finished speaking, he added: "His Majesty is quite pleased to know this."

"The prince is focused on state affairs, Sanlang and Shilang are also busy, and even I feel much more relaxed." Empress Wu said lightly.

Yuan Wanqing didn't dare to reply.

The prince has indeed been very attentive to court affairs recently.

The Ministry of Household Affairs inspects farmland, the Ministry of Punishment rectifies old cases, and the Ministry of Personnel investigates officials for dereliction of duty.

Except for the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War, the prince was basically not spared.

The Ministry of Household Affairs inspects the acres of land, specifically checking the number of acres of land in the residences of princes and families near Yongzhou.

That's fine. If there's any excess, you'll be fined heavily immediately.

Princes and officials each have a certain number of tax-free acres, and there are many places where they exceed the quota and do not pay taxes.

Once the prince catches such a thing, even Empress Wu will find it difficult to intercede.

In the end, it spread to aristocratic families, causing a lot of tax repayment.

The entire ground near Chang'an suddenly became clear.

The emperor also issued a decree to praise the prince.

Now the prince is gearing up to promote this kind of thing to the entire Northwest Road.

If Huangfu Zhengyi hadn't been pulling behind him, the prince might have used his methods across the country.

Then came the matter of the Ministry of Punishment. The prince had recently been diligently reviewing the old cases of the Ministry of Punishment, and had found out many unjust, false and wrong cases in the Ministry of Punishment.

This made Pei Yan quite embarrassed for a while.

There are also officials, many meritorious officials and nobles, who have been paid for free, so the prince strictly investigates the problem of free pay.

For a while, there was a lot of noise.

The prince's affairs in running the Household Department offended a large number of princely families and at the same time usurped Empress Wu's rights, but was recognized by the emperor.

The prince took charge of the Ministry of Punishments in order to take revenge on Pei Yan. Ming Chongyan's escape that night was probably caused by someone from the Ministry of Punishments.

The prince dealt with the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel and eliminated many redundant officials. The expenses of the Ministry of Household Affairs were suddenly reduced a lot.

Although many people later complained that the prince had gone too far, and even wrote to impeach the officials in the East Palace, no one dared to point the finger at the prince.

In addition to Li Xian, Li Xian was engaged in water conservancy matters, and Li Dan was concerned about the imperial examination. All of a sudden, even the official duties on Empress Wu's desk were reduced a lot.

……

"Keep an eye on the East Palace and don't let them make any big mistakes." Empress Wu breathed a sigh of relief and said with a gentle smile: "When it's time to help, help more."

"Yes!" Yuan Wanqing's mouth twitched slightly, then he cupped his hands and said, "I accept the order."

"By the way, where did Ming Shiyin go?" Empress Wu stood by the garden and looked sideways at Yuan Wanqing.

"I don't know." Yuan Wanqing's expression became solemn, and he bowed and said: "The latest news from the secret guard is that after leaving Chang'an, Master Shiyin stayed in Luoyang for one night, and then went south along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, but he did Some tricks to prevent others from finding his trace."

"Did he go somewhere secretly and do something?" Empress Wu couldn't help but frown.

The prince's matter was initially handled secretly by Ming Chongyan, but it wasn't long before Empress Wu discovered it and it became a "test" for the prince.

Now, who knows if Ming Chongyan is up to something wrong again.

"I don't know." Yuan Wanqing shook his head slightly. During this period, he was actually arranged to be involved in the imperial examination affairs.

That was the end of the imperial examination, and one of his nephews even got the second place in the exam, which made him very proud.

Fortunately, he was ranked second. If his nephew got the first prize, that would be a big problem.

However, it is really not easy for ordinary people to get into the first prize.

Many times, people do not remember the number one pick, but instead remember the number two and number three picks.

For example, in the previous years, many people now don't really think about it and can't remember who the number one scholar was. Instead, it was the scholars with outstanding literary talents like Song Zhiwen and Zhuge Minghui who are more memorable.

"Go and check." Empress Wu calmed down and said calmly: "The matter of King Cao and King Yue must be investigated clearly. If they really have any intentions, it will be a big deal."

"Yes!" Yuan Wanqing nodded.

"Isn't there anything happening in Nanchang Prince's Palace, Prince Ying's Palace and Prince Xiang's Palace?" After a slight pause, Empress Wu said: "Is this the issue of the heir?"

"Reporting to the Queen of Heaven, there haven't been any recently." Yuan Wanqing bowed.

"It's a pity." Empress Wu continued to walk into the garden, and at the same time said: "Tell Sanlang and Shiro that you are busy with court affairs, but you can't neglect your own affairs."

"Yes!" Yuan Wanqing suddenly looked serious.

Nowadays, although the prince is doing many things and has received a lot of support, he has also offended many people.

As long as something doesn't happen, if something happens, these people will immediately add insult to injury.

The better the prince does now, the more unlucky he will be in the future.

But even so, the prince still has the last talisman, and that is the emperor's eldest grandson.

Now the only eldest grandson of the emperor in the entire Tang Dynasty, he is also the only direct grandson of the emperor.

If you want to completely overthrow the prince, it is best for a new grandson to come to the world.

Empress Wu was already considering this matter.

Yuan Wanqing suddenly thought of Li Xuan.

When the emperor's eldest grandson was born, the King of Nanchang helped him. If he wanted the Prime Minister to have a son, could he also ask the King of Nanchang for advice...

……

"No news about Ming Chongyan?" Li Xian looked at Huangfu Zhengyi with some surprise. He had been focusing on government affairs recently and didn't care much about the affairs in the southeast.

Huangfu Zhengyi nodded and said: "King Cao has written that we have already started to prepare for the delivery of grain and grass to the north in the new year. However, since the end of spring, there has been more rain, so there may be some delays."

Li Xian nodded slightly. He knew that King Cao had said that he would start sending food and grass northward, which meant that all the things that needed to be done had been taken care of.

But until now, there is no trace of Ming Chongyan. Where did that guy go?
Seeing the confusion on Li Xian's face, Huangfu Gongyi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Ming Chongyan has been missing for too long. It has been more than two months. It is difficult for people to doubt that something happened?

Once something happens to Ming Chongyan, the first target of suspicion is Li Xian, but looking at the expression on Li Xian's face now, Huangfu Zhengyi is finally relieved that it's not him.

"Don't worry about Jiangnan's affairs. Ming Chongyan can go wherever he goes. We don't care." Li Xian changed his voice and said: "Keep an eye on the Yushitai. If Ming Chongyan disappears for too long, and the Yushi If there is no movement on the platform, it’s time to rectify the Yushitai.”

"Yes!" Huangfu Gongyi bowed slightly, and then said: "The palace is already preparing for the eastward tour. Your Highness, we must also start preparations."

"Go to the Minister of Finance and ask about the regulations. Let's see which of your husbands will stay in Chang'an and which of them will stay in Luoyang?" Li Xian nodded to Huangfu Gongyi,
"Here!" Huangfu Zhengyi asked a few more questions. There was nothing on Li Xian's side.

Huangfu Zhengyi resigned and left.

"Your Highness." Gao Qi walked out from behind the curtain, cupped his hands towards Li Xian and said, "The people were placed in the inner palace and guarded by the inner guards. Except for Zhao Gong, the commander of the secret guards and the court council official, no one else No human contact allowed.”

"Zhao Gong." Li Xian narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "He is a careful person. As long as he is here, others will not be able to do anything... and the queen mother has no intention of letting him see anyone, which is good."

"Yes!" Gao Qi bowed slightly. Empress Wu's treatment of Helan Wan did make Dong Gong breathe a sigh of relief, but only a sigh of relief.

"Send someone to check. What's going on with Ming Chongyan? Why does he seem to be missing?" Li Xian couldn't help but frowned.

"Who knows, maybe he is holding it back somewhere to harm others." Gao Qi couldn't help but snorted coldly.

"Don't worry about that." Li Xian waved his hand and said, "I want to find out where he is now. Is he secretly watching the King of Cao and the King of Yue..."

(End of this chapter)