Tuqing: My first love was Cixi

Chapter 187 The situation explodes! The last moment!

Su Yi really has no intention of fighting with the emperor now.

He has only one goal.

In the next one or two years, let him develop quietly, and the court and the emperor should not toss him politically.

The emperor compromised two points, and the court compromised three points.

Don’t get caught up in endless infighting.

It has been less than two years since January 1860, 1, the deadline for betting.

The importance of winning or losing this bet goes without saying.

It’s about Su Yi’s personal destiny and the destiny of the country.

In the past two years, Su Yi has been trying to defeat Count Elgin's war and dumping routes.

Internally, the struggle with the imperial court must be won.

According to the gambling agreement, Su Yi's Jiujiang Economic Experimental Zone will make a profit of six million taels.

These profits must be generated domestically at this time.

In other words, within these two years, Su Yi will do business with many developed provinces and cities in the Qing Dynasty.

He needed to make deals with many local governors and earn a huge profit of six million taels.

So, why do these governors do business with Su Yi?

As a governor of Jiangxi who is in danger and whose status is unstable, others will not make long-term deals with you.

It's very precarious. If you step down, your factories will not be saved.

Now all the governors in the world are staring at Su Yi.

First of all, Su Yi must remain undefeated in the struggle with the imperial court, and his position as governor of Jiangxi must be extremely stable, so that governors all over the world will have confidence in Su Yi.

In the second step, the British and French forces invaded the capital, and the emperor hunted north.

At that time, the governors of the entire southeast will conclude a short-term alliance with Su Yi.

Then, Su Yi made large-scale economic transactions with the entire southern developed provinces and tied up their interests.

In a very short period of time, he earned six million taels of silver.

Then, use three million taels to leverage the British Empire's World Expo.

And then leveraged, Britain's new diplomatic route.

In the end, the sky fell and the earth fell, and Su Yi managed to turn the tide. Su Yi entered the center and joined forces with the two queen mothers to take control of the situation.

Directly complete the transition from other places to the center.

Therefore, these are the most important two years for Su Yi.

This section is a sign of victory in the struggle between Su Yi and the court.

That is, the court compromised and agreed to all the conditions proposed by Su Yi.

It is indeed difficult to achieve this goal.

But Su Yi reviewed it in the group for a long time and felt that it could be done.

The probability of success is high.

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At this time, the court was already feeling a lot of pressure.

But it's not enough.

Facing Su Yi's memorial, the emperor threw it directly to the ground.

Du Han said: "Your Majesty, Chongen once cursed the Emperor. Do you want to capture him and imprison him?"

His meaning was very clear, capturing Chong En was not the goal.

The core purpose is to prevent Su Yi from paying dividends to the people.

As soon as this proposal came out, the emperor was very moved.

In fact, he did not expect that Chongen, who had successfully left the capital, would come back again.

But soon, everyone, including the emperor, rejected the proposal.

Chongen is a clan member and a senior.

He is not afraid of death. If you take him to Zongren Mansion Prison, it will only enhance his reputation.

It will only make people feel that Su Yi is more like a victim.

Moreover, Chongen has promised to pay dividends. If you arrest Chongen and there is no dividends, the people will not blame Su Yi, but the court.

It might even feel like the court had embezzled the money.

In this case, the gain is really not worth the loss.

The emperor said: "The key is Huai'an, the key is water transportation!"

"Although water transportation is not as important as it was a hundred years ago, it is still crucial to our Qing Dynasty, and you all know it very well."

For a long time, water transportation was the core economic lifeline of the Qing court.

Due to bad river administration and siltation of canals, water transportation has gradually declined.

However, sea transportation has not yet taken shape and will take more than ten years. Today, water transportation is still very important.

"Now the Nian bandits are attacking Huai'an. Once Huai'an falls, the consequences will be disastrous!"

"What should we do? Send that army to rescue Huai'an?"

Everyone fell into silence.

For a while, I really couldn't find a suitable army.

Zeng Guofan?

He was not even willing to fight in Anqing, let alone Huai'an.

Jiangbei camp?

Everyone knows best about the combat effectiveness of Tuoming Ajiangbei Camp, even though it is closest to Huai'an.

But if Tuoming'a's army really goes to rescue Huai'an, it might rebel and come to take Yangzhou directly.

Jiangnan camp?

He Chun's Jiangnan camp has just been restored and is so close to the rebellion. Once the army is mobilized to rescue Huai'an.

Maybe he will go straight to Huanglong if he rebels.

Neither the left nor the right.

The meaning of Su Yi's memorial is very obvious. As long as you agree to my conditions, I will save Huai'an and dredge water transportation.

But now the emperor and the court don't consider Su Yi at all.

Du Han said: "Your Majesty, we have two plans now."

"The first plan is to let Wang Shiqing lead the new army to rescue Huai'an, and attack with the army inside and outside the city to eliminate the Nian bandits."

"The second plan is to let Tuoming'a lead the army to rescue Huai'an and let Wang Shiqing guard Yangzhou City."

Everyone thinks this plan is feasible.

Moreover, these two plans can test whether Wang Shiqing's new army has escaped Su Yi's control.

The emperor said: "Then the first plan."

But everyone was terrified because the imperial envoy sent to Wang Siqing's army was robbed and killed on the way.

Moreover, he was rebellious and would attack the imperial envoys of the Qing Dynasty indiscriminately.

"This imperial envoy, don't make a big show of it. First go through the canal, and then switch to land before entering Jiangsu. Keep a low profile and don't be recognized."

"In addition, three imperial envoys were sent to Yangzhou to deliver the decree at the same time!"

The next day.

Three imperial envoys set out from the capital.

This time, there was no pomp and circumstance, and there was even one completely dressed up as a caravan.

In short, one of these three imperial envoys will be able to reach Yangzhou to deliver the message.

At this time, Chongen was there.

The dividends began vigorously.

Countless people lined up to receive their first year's bonus money.

Elated.

Along with the white money, Su Yi's reputation in the capital has risen to another level.

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Jiujiang!

Su Yi is in a meeting.

"Now that Huai'an is besieged and water transportation is cut off, the imperial court will definitely come to rescue." Shen Baozhen said: "Zeng Guofan's Hunan army is too far away and cannot be reached. The Jiangnan camp was newly built and they dare not move. Therefore, only the troops from the Jiangbei camp can move. Either let Tuoming'a rescue Huai'an and Wang Shiqing guard Yangzhou. Or let Wang Shiqing's army rescue Huai'an and Tuoming'a guard Yangzhou."

Lin Li said: "It must be the second plan. What the court wants to know most now is who will command Wang Shiqing's new army."

Shen Baozhen said: "So, how to deal with it?"

Lin Li said: "Let Wang Shiqing resist the decree and slap the emperor in the face."

These words are very consistent with Lin Li's style.

Shen Baozhen said: "It's inappropriate. General Wang Shiqing can't take that step. And it's not a last resort and you can't openly resist the order. The consequences will be too serious."

Su Yi also nodded.

Shen Baozhen said: "So, the best way is to transfer Wang Shiqing's army away from Yangzhou so that the imperial envoy who delivers the decree cannot see Wang Shiqing and cannot deliver the decree."

Hong Renli said: "This requires the cooperation of Toming'a, the commander of Jiangbei Camp. Only he has the power to transfer Wang Shiqing's army away from Yangzhou. This will also prevent the new army from directly resisting the order."

Lin Li said: "Will Tuominga cooperate? Although this man is loyal, he does not dare to disobey the emperor. The last time the commander-in-chief passed through Yangzhou, he did not go to the dock to greet him, and he did not even go out of the city to meet the commander-in-chief. It can be seen that I have already planned to draw a clear line with Su Yi, at most I just want to avoid adding insult to injury."

Shen Baozhen said in a cold voice: "Tuoming'a does not dare to disobey the emperor, but he is even more afraid of death. The deaths of imperial envoys Dexing'a and Weng Tongshu shocked him the most."

"Mr. Hong, can you incite the Taiping Army Lin Qirong to attack Liuhe? Then I will lobby, or force and intimidate Toming'a, and ask him to order Wang Shiqing's army to be transferred to Liuhe for defense?"

"As soon as this happens, there will be enough reasons for the imperial court to be unable to send new troops to rescue Huai'an."

Hong Renli nodded and said, "Okay."

Then, everyone looked at Su Yi, waiting for his decision.

"That's it."

Hong Renli said: "I will set off immediately."

Then, she got up and left, secretly heading outside Tianjing City.

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Before Shen Baozhen left Jiujiang, he once again had a political review with Su Yi.

"Sir, our goal is to get the imperial court to compromise with us, win peace in the past two years, and let the governors of the world see clearly, so as to lay the foundation for our subsequent alliance and transactions with them, right?"

Su Yi said: "Yes."

Shen Baozhen said: "The pressure from Huai'an alone is not enough. The Nian army seemed to be very aggressive, and it was overwhelming when they captured Qingjiangpu, but it was not enough to attack a big city like Huai'an. So the court will soon discover that there is no need to send troops for rescue. , Huai'an can't be defeated either."

"By then, the pressure that was finally created on the court will be released. It will be more difficult to increase the pressure again."

"And if the pressure is not enough, the court will not compromise with us."

"Because of the extreme centralization of power since this dynasty, the authority of the central court over the local areas is too great. At present, no local governor can win the central government in the struggle. Even the Hunan Army only secretly asked the court to compromise, and it was completely impossible to do so on the surface. arrive."

Su Yi said: "So, to continue to increase the pressure, another big move is needed, a bigger move than the siege of Huai'an."

However, for this big move, he needed Bashali to come back with an armed fleet.

Because the movement is too large, it is easily deformed.

Su Yi did not have a navy in his hands and could not take the initiative in the Yangtze River waterway, so it was difficult to complete the next big move.

I hope Basili's second lobbying of Albert in London will be successful and he will return with the fleet as soon as possible.

Shen Baozhen said: "Now the governors in the entire south are watching our struggle with the imperial court. But He Guiqing, the governor of Liangjiang, is very important and is our political enemy. Even if we take the initiative in the struggle with the imperial court, he probably won't Make an alliance and trade with us.”

The so-called alliance of southern governors.

Essentially, it was an early version of Southeast Mutual Insurance.

It is still very difficult to complete now because the authority of the central court is still too great.

Governor of Zhejiang, Governor of Fujian, Governor of Anhui, Governor of Jiangxi, Governor of Hubei, Governor of Hunan, Governor of Jiangsu.

Plus a Shanghai!

This is the dumping market that Su Yi will delineate next.

Win the fight with the imperial court first.

Wait until the emperor and Britain and France fall out again and a real war breaks out.

These provinces immediately united together.

Then, Su Yi took the opportunity to do a lot of trading, build a community of interests, and earn a lot of profits.

Su Yi said slowly: "He Guiqing, Governor of Liangjiang, if he can see the situation clearly by then, then he is welcome to join. If he can't see the situation clearly, just... kill him!"

Shen Baozhen said: "I understand, I will go to Yangzhou immediately to intimidate Tuoming!"

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A few days later!

In Tianjing City, the Taiping Army led by Lin Qirong gathered, ready to cross the Yangtze River and attack Liuhe.

next day!

Shen Baozhen secretly entered Yangzhou and asked to see Tuoming'a.

General Jiang Ning and the head coach of Jiangbei Camp, Tuo Ming'a, were immediately shocked.

"He, what is he doing here?"

Shen Baozhen was right, Tominga was completely frightened at this time.

Many people now feel that it was not Su Yi who robbed and killed the imperial fleet.

Only Tuo Ming'a firmly believed that Su Yi must have done this.

Then, he had nightmares for several nights.

There was always a question lingering in his mind, would Su Yi do anything to me?

Probably not.

Are we good brothers?

Although I had drawn a clear line between him and him, I did not add insult to injury and even gave him money.

But another voice told him that as long as you block Su Yi's way, he will attack you.

At a critical moment, can the 20,000 troops in Jiangbei Camp save their lives?

Tomin'a was skeptical.

So during this period, he had been afraid that Su Yi would send someone over, but he didn't expect that they would actually come.

What should I do? what to do?

"Let him in!"

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In the study room!

Jiangning General Tuo Ming'a was extremely enthusiastic.

"Mr. Youdan, long time no see, long time no see!"

Tuo Ming'a hugged Shen Baozhen and said, "Long time no see, sir, my husband's account has been reduced."

"My brother Su Yi is so good. He really wants to kill me." Shen Baozhen said: "The commander-in-chief also often said that the person he misses the most is General Jiang Ning. In terms of loyalty, no one has ever surpassed the general. To its right."

Tuo Ming'a said: "We have no other ability, just loyalty."

Then, Tominga asked: "Mr. Youdan came to see me, what can you teach me?"

Shen Baozhen said: "I have one thing to trouble General Jiang Ning."

Tomin'a said: "Sir, please tell me, what I can do, I will do it naturally. What I can't do, it's because I don't have the ability."

Shen Baozhen said: "You order Wang Shiqing, the commander-in-chief of Langshan Town, to lead the new army to leave Yangzhou and go to Liuhe."

Hearing this, Tomin'a's expression changed.

His political sensitivity is still very high.

Immediately heard the implication.

Now the Nian bandits are attacking Huai'an and cutting off water transportation. Su Yi has predicted the court's behavior in advance and will definitely send an imperial envoy to order Wang Shiqing's army to rescue Huai'an.

Therefore, Su Yi wanted to transfer Wang Shiqing's army away so that the imperial envoys could not see him.

Just this amount of information made Tominga tremble inside.

This proves two things.

The first thing is that although Wang Shiqing's new army left Jiujiang, they did completely follow Su Yi's orders.

Secondly, Su Yi was unwilling to let Wang Shiqing directly resist the order, so he had to rely on Tuo Ming'a's order.

But in this case, he Tuoming'a would probably be angered by the emperor.

General Jiang Ning did not dare to offend the emperor.

Immediately, Tomin'a smiled and said: "Then please forgive me for being powerless. Only the imperial court has the power to mobilize Wang Shiqing's new army. I, General Jiangning, only have the right to control, not to mobilize."

Sure enough he refused.

Shen Baozhen was still smiling, but his eyes became cold.

He said slowly: "General Jiang Ning, the military situation is like a fire. Liuhe City is in danger, and Wang Shiqing's army needs to be sent to save it."

Tuoming Ayi said in shock: "There is no war in Liuhe. The internal integration of the rebellion has not been completed yet, so they will not attack Jiangbei."

Shen Baozhen said slowly: "Yes."

Then, he took out his pocket watch and said: "Tomorrow morning, at a quarter past nine, the rebel army will attack Liuhe. At half past eleven, they will temporarily retreat. At three o'clock in the afternoon, more troops will be gathered to cross the river and go north, so you send It is very necessary for Wang Shiqing to send his troops to defend Liuhe."

Hearing these words, Tomin'a's scalp went numb.

My whole body felt chilly.

The meaning behind Shen Baozhen's words was too terrifying.

Things haven't happened yet, Shen Baozhen said when the rebel army will attack, when it is time to retreat, and when it will be assembled to cross the river.

This...what does this prove?

If all this is true.

That means Su Yi can control the rebellious army.

This is a more terrifying threat.

You Tuoming don't dare to offend the emperor, then do you dare to offend me, Su Yi?

You have made the emperor unhappy, and at most you will be reprimanded. No one can replace you now.

If you offend me, Su Yi, your life may be at risk.

You should carefully consider the pros and cons.

After Shen Baozhen finished speaking, he said: "Then I'll take my leave. I live in Mr. Bai Yan's house. I'll leave at five o'clock tomorrow evening. If General Jiang Ning changes his mind, just go to Bai Yan's house to find me at this time."

Then, Shen Baozhen left directly without any further persuasion.

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Wuchang City!

Hu Linyi and Zeng Guofan talked secretly.

"Disheng, I can't understand this situation, but I'm terrified."

"What does Su Yi want to do? Why is he fighting so fiercely with the court?"

"The authority of the imperial court is still strong. He, the governor of Jiangxi, wants to make the imperial court compromise?"

"I can feel that he is laying out a big picture, but I can't see clearly what he is going to do next, or what his purpose is?"

"But the key point is that I am the chief envoy of Jiangxi. The emperor will force me to take sides."

"Once I take sides, the Hunan Army takes sides."

"I guess the emperor's emissary will soon go to Nanchang to find me, Hu Linyi, and will soon come to Wuchang to find you."

"Where do we go from here?"

At this time, the imperial court was negotiating with foreigners in Tianjin.

In everyone's opinion, the situation should calm down next.

But I didn't expect that the situation would become even more alarming and rough.

Even Hu Linyi, the governor of Zhejiang and other frontier officials who were unaware of the situation, all sensed that a storm was coming.

Zeng Guofan said slowly: "According to my understanding of Su Yi, he saw something we didn't see, so he made arrangements in advance."

Hu Linyi said: "As a governor of Jiangxi, he is the first to bear the brunt. As a local governor, he challenges the central authority of the imperial court. The chance of winning in this struggle is too small. What does he want to do?"

Zeng Guofan said: "I can't see clearly either. Su Yiluozi is so imaginative and unconstrained."

Hu Linyi said: "After the emperor's secret envoy arrives, where should we go?"

Zeng Guofan thought for a while and said slowly: "Sit back and watch what happens."

Hu Linyi said: "Do you think Su Yi might win?"

Zeng Guofan said: "I don't know whether to win or lose, but I know that the world has changed, or is changing. After the foreigners fought this battle, especially after the negotiations between Tianjin and the foreigners ended, it was a happy event in the eyes of the emperor. The foreigners The troops have withdrawn. But in the eyes of the people of the world, the authority of the imperial court is rapidly declining, and the authority of the emperor is also declining."

"So, let's wait and see what happens!"

Then Zeng Guofan laughed at himself: "I thought I would be the first feudal official to challenge the authority of the imperial court, but I didn't expect that it would be Su Yi. Moreover, at this time, the central authority of the imperial court is still extremely powerful."

"I'm really curious about how he can win."

"But no matter what, after the emperor's emissary comes, deal with it coldly."

"We are neutral!"

"I will also write to Hunan to ask Luo Bingzhang to neutralize it."

"We will just quietly watch this drama while developing!"

Hu Linyi said: "Okay, I understand. I will return to Nanchang immediately to make relevant arrangements."

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next day!

At a quarter past nine, Taiping Army Lin Qirong's troops attacked Liuhe.

At half past eleven, the Taiping Army temporarily retreated.

General Liuhe sent a messenger rushing towards Yangzhou to ask for help.

At the same time, Lin Qirong's Taiping Army continued to gather on the south bank of the Yangtze River, preparing to cross the river to the north, increase its troops, and continue to attack Liuhe.

In the afternoon.

In Yangzhou City, Jiangning General Tuoming'a heard the request for help.

It was horrifying and terrifying.

My whole body was shaking, and I felt cold from the inside to the soles of my feet.

The time to launch a counterattack and the time to retreat are exactly as Shen Baozhen said.

"How many rebels are gathering in the Yangtze River now?" Tominga asked.

"I don't know, probably... maybe several thousand, maybe more," the messenger said.

"Understood, I will send reinforcements immediately." Tomin'a said: "Go back."

Tomin'a then shut himself up in his study.

Shen Baozhen said that he would leave Yangzhou at five o'clock in the evening. This was an ultimatum.

If Tomin'a disagrees, the consequences will be unpredictable.

Dexing'a and Weng Tongshu could die in the hands of rebels, and so could Tatoming'a.

Immediately, Tominga rushed to Baiyan's mansion.

The first time he saw Shen Baozhen, Tuoming'a said directly: "Mr. Youdan, Liuhe is in danger. I will immediately order Wang Shiqing's troops to go to the rescue."

Shen Baozhen bowed and said: "Thank you very much!"

An hour later!

Tuoming'a officially issued a military order to Wang Shiqing and went to support Liuhe.

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A few days later.

The imperial envoy came to Yangzhou after a long journey.

"Where is Wang Shiqing, the commander-in-chief of Langshan Town? The Emperor has an order!"

Jiangning General Tuoming'a knelt down to receive him.

The imperial envoy said: "General Jiangning, the emperor has an order to order Wang Shiqing to lead the new army to support Huai'an immediately. There must be no mistake."

Tuoming'a's scalp was numb, but he had to grit his teeth and said: "I'm afraid I can't report it back to the envoy."

The imperial envoy said: "What? Do you want to resist the decree?"

Tuo Ming'ad said: "Fa Ni crossed the river to the north and attacked Liuhe. The camp in Jiangbei is in danger. General Wang Shiqing is leading the army to fight fiercely with Fa Ni in Liuhe."

"If you don't believe it, see the angel for yourself."

Next, the imperial envoys went to watch the battlefield in Liuhe City.

Even though they were far away, they were frightened right back.

The rebellious army, dark and overwhelming, countless in number, surrounded Liuhe City.

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at the same time.

The last imperial envoy, eunuch Zenglu, finally arrived in Jiujiang.

"According to the imperial edict of Emperor Chengyun, Governor Su Yi of Jiangxi exceeded the ban on concubinage. He was removed from the first class of marquis and demoted to the first class of captain of light carriages. I admire this!"

The First Class Marquis is a superb product.

The first-class light carriage captain is the third rank.

Su Yi's title was promoted quickly, but it also declined quickly.

Su Yi did not resist, but stepped forward and said, "My lord, please accept the order and thank me."

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A few days later!

The imperial envoy who went to Yangzhou to deliver the decree returned to the capital.

Return to the emperor.

Wang Shiqing's army could not support Huai'an.

Although there is no resistance to the purpose, many of its meanings are already obvious.

In fact, the imperial envoy did not even see Wang Shiqing, and it was Jiangning General Tuoming'a who came forward to refuse.

This was even more shocking, and it was also the most intolerable thing for the emperor.

Then the emperor fell into silence.

He didn't curse, didn't tremble, he just said something lightly.

"Summon Sushun, Du Han and others to enter the palace immediately."

A few hours later!

Several close ministers all came to Sanxi Hall.

The emperor said slowly: "I don't want to wait any longer, and I can't wait any longer."

"Does he have different intentions? Is he a warlord? Now I can see clearly."

"If this continues, where will the central authority of the imperial court lie?"

"I will depose him."

"If he has the ability, he can directly resist the order."

"The governors all over the world are watching."

Sushun stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, please wait a few more days."

The emperor said: "No, I don't want to wait another day."

Sushun said: "The Huai'an battle report shows that although there are many Nien bandits, they have no experience in attacking the city. They are strong at one go, then weakened again, and exhausted three times."

"If it persists for a while, it will disperse on its own, so Huai'an may not need to send troops to rescue."

"Tianjin has basically reached an agreement, and the foreign troops are about to withdraw. At this time, it is best not to create any complications."

"After the siege of Huai'an is lifted and the foreign barbarians retreat, the emperor directly issues an order to remove Su Yi from the post of governor of Jiangxi without leaving any room for error and replace him with Hu Linyi!"

"Don't the Hunan Army want Jiangxi? Then give it to them completely."

"Your Majesty, just a few days."

The emperor said slowly: "Okay, then I will wait a few more days!"

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Then, Su Yi and the court fell into silence.

On the other side of Huai'an City, it is really impossible for the Nian Army to attack the city.

After successive strong attacks, the leader of the Nian Army already wanted to retreat.

Anyway, a lot of looting has been done in this battle and a lot of gains have been made.

Three days later!

The negotiations between Guiliang, the Imperial Envoy, and Huashana, the Minister of Civil Affairs, officially ended in Tianjin.

The Qing court formally signed the Treaty of Tianjin with Britain, France, Russia, and the United States.

The British agreed to fully withdraw their troops.

After enduring it for so long, waiting for so long, this moment has finally arrived!

After hearing the news, the emperor took out his pen and prepared to write a brand new imperial edict.

Su Yi was dismissed as governor of Jiangxi.

And right now.

Wang Chenggui, the eunuch in charge, rushed in and shouted: "I am very happy, the emperor is very happy!"

"Good news came from the Imperial Hospital. Empress Lianbi is pregnant with a dragon seed."

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Note: The first update is here, the last half day, thank you all for your monthly votes, thank you very much! Went to bed.

(End of this chapter)