My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 285 Queen Cao: Want another woman?

After seeing off the current imperial military adviser Han Tuidang and his elder brother-in-law Cao Shou, Liu Rong stood alone in front of the huge geomancer in the side hall of Xuanshi Palace.

Liu Rong's gaze moved left little by little from Youbeiping County of Yan State in the upper right corner of the map, as well as Mahan Korea and Jiezi Korea which nominally accepted the title of Han Dynasty.

After passing Yanbei and Daibei, Liu Rong's gaze finally fell on the dazzling red dot that was isolated outside the Great Wall.

"Cloud City..."

“Tsk, tsk;”

"The Emperor Taizu Gao, worthy of being the Emperor Taizu Gao~"

"In the Battle of Pingcheng, even though we were trapped in the siege of Baideng, we still pushed the actual control line of the Han and Xiongnu hundreds of miles northward!"

"Especially in the northwest of Mayi and Wuzhou, a nail like Yunzhong was planted in the grassland to serve as an outpost and strategic fulcrum for the Han Dynasty to go north from the Great Wall and set foot on the grassland."

"——Even though the Han Dynasty had no hope of marching its army north of the Great Wall at that time, they still retained this possibility and preserved Yunzhong City."

···
"I still have a lot to learn..."

Even though he was used to being praised by people inside and outside the court and even the world as "early wisdom", and was even praised by the late Emperor Xiaojing, a feudal emperor who was extremely conceited, as "the most talented crown prince since the Han Dynasty", Liu Rong still secretly acknowledged his shortcomings in certain aspects.

First of all, as a rookie emperor with relatively little political experience, Liu Rong's political skills are not as good as those of Emperor Taizu Gaohuang Liu Bang and Emperor Taizong Xiaowen Liu Heng.

And it is far inferior.

Ask yourself, according to Liu Rong's current understanding, the current level of "Emperor Rong" is roughly slightly lower than that of the former Emperor Xiaojing.

As for Emperor Taizu Gao and Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, Liu Rong did not dare to be arrogant - he would be very satisfied if he could reach the political level of these two before the age of thirty.

This is just about political means and power struggles.

In terms of military, Emperor Taizu Gaohuangdi Liu Bang may not be a qualified founding monarch - it is even possible that he is not even a decent emperor!

But there is no doubt that no matter how incompetent Emperor Taizu Liu Bang was, he was at least a real military strategist and strategist.

In other words, in Liu Rong's cognition, Emperor Taizu Liu Bang was at least an extremely outstanding military emperor!
As for other aspects, perhaps due to the limitations of the times or the constraints of the objective reality at that time, this founding monarch was unable to achieve much in areas other than military achievements.

But Liu Rong had to admit: Even if the Emperor Wu of Han in the original historical timeline was included, Emperor Taizu Gaohuang Liu Bang was still the emperor with the most prosperous military achievements in the more than 400 years of history of the Han Dynasty, without a doubt.

Although Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, who later became famous for his achievements in civil and political affairs, was also an outstanding figure in military affairs.

——First of all, as the first King of Dai with the surname Liu in the Han Dynasty, Emperor Taizong, who was enfeoffed in Jinyang at the age of only six, was a true king guarding the border.

Even though he never directly intervened in border affairs due to the tyranny of Empress Dowager Lu, as a border guard king whose fiefdom was located on the front line between Han and Xiongnu, Emperor Taizong still had the most basic military knowledge.

Moreover, later on, Emperor Taizong, relying on a decisive battle between the Han and the Xiongnu that did not actually break out due to the rebellion of the clan princes, very decisively set the main strategic policy line for the Han family, which was to first develop slowly, then integrate the internal forces, and finally resolve the external threats.

Based on this item alone, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen Liu Heng could at least qualify as a strategist.

Compared with these two, Emperor Xiaojing was obviously a little inferior.

Perhaps it should be said that no matter from which aspect, the late emperor was more or less inferior to these two.

But in Liu Rong's opinion, it was not that the late emperor was too weak, but that the reference system was too outrageous and the object of comparison was too powerful.

——Taizu Liu Bang was the person recognized by Chinese civilization as the "most legitimate ruler" before Zhu Ming Taizu founded the country. In a sense, he was the first founding monarch!
As for Emperor Wen of Han, his rule during the reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing alone made many emperors in later generations spend their entire lives trying to catch up with him, but in the end they could only look up to him and sigh that they could not reach his level.

Compared with these two people, let alone Emperor Xian Xiaojing - more than 99% of the emperors in Chinese history would not have the nerve to say that they are stronger than these two.

Even Emperor Xiaojing, who was not as good as these two, was a qualified emperor who would most likely revive the dynasty if one appeared in every dynasty in later generations. If two or three generations appeared in succession, the dynasty could be completely revived.

In terms of military strategy, the former Emperor Xiaojing is still superior to the current Liu Rong.

Perhaps before the Wu-Chu Rebellion broke out, Emperor Xiaojing's misjudgment of the situation in Guandong and the clan princes led to the final scale of the rebellion being somewhat beyond the expectations of the central court in Chang'an, and it was somewhat out of the control of the central government in Chang'an.

But whether it was before the rebellion broke out, Emperor Xiaojing took every step to force the rebellion in the name of reducing the power of the feudal lords;

After the rebellion broke out, he decisively used Chao Cuo's head to tear apart the banner and fig leaf of the Wu-Chu coalition's "kill Chao Cuo and clear the court" campaign;

Even after the rebellion was quelled, he took advantage of the situation to punish the princes in Guandong, with edicts one after another, policies one after another - there was not a single word about "reducing the power of the princes", but every word and sentence was about reducing the power of the princes!

The strategic structure reflected by this entire set of processes is also something that Liu Rong does not possess today.

Figuratively speaking, Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang and Emperor Xiaowen Liu Heng are like the deceased ancestors of the Liu Han clan, who exist in legends.

The former Emperor Xiaojing, Liu Qi, was the previous generation’s supreme elder who had just passed away and had made great contributions to the sect.

Today's Liu Rong is more like a rare prodigy or genius who has a very high ceiling but has not yet fully developed.

Everyone knows: As long as Liu Rong doesn't collapse midway, his ceiling will be extremely high;
But everyone also knows that if Liu Rong wants to develop to that level and fully realize his talent, he still needs time.

"It's a pity that we still have to wait for a few more years for the two pillars of my empire."

"If not..."

"Tsk, I really wish I could send out the entire army right away and attack Dragon City..."

Looking at the feng shui, which showed a vast grassland still controlled by the Huns and which the Han people could hardly even take a look at, Liu Rong couldn't help but smack his lips.

——After the wedding ceremony, Liu Rong took the newly-wed Queen Cao back home and visited the Pingyang Marquis’ Mansion.

Although he did not see the long-awaited Marquis Changping, Liu Rong had already learned that one of the two pillars of his empire had already walked out of the Marquis Pingyang Mansion according to his original life trajectory.

At this moment, little Wei Qing, who was only seven years old, was herding sheep at his biological father Zheng Ji's home.

If nothing unexpected happens, after being bullied by his half-brothers and sisters for a few years and being treated as a slave by his biological father Zheng Ji for a few years, Wei Qing will return to the Pingyang Marquis's Mansion and become a riding slave trained by Pingyang Marquis Cao Shou for the Marquis's son Cao Xiang.

When they were a little older, around fifteen or sixteen years old, Liu Rong could pick fruits and bring people up to his side to train.

As for the tools, or channels, for picking the fruits, Liu Rong also found out indirectly.

——Wei Qing’s elder sister, Wei Zifu, was in her early teens and was living with her mother, Wei Ai, in Pingyang Marquisate, and receiving training in singing and dancing.

According to her original life trajectory, within three to five years, Wei Zifu, who had the richest dowry in Chinese history, would become a singer in the Marquis Pingyang's mansion.

As for this woman he was determined to get, Liu Rong didn't worry too much about the butterfly effect. He directly informed his elder brother-in-law, Pingyang Marquis Cao Shou: This girl looks pretty to me.

Next, as long as Cao Shou was a little sensible, Wei Zifu would no longer be trained as a singer to entertain guests in Pingyang Marquis' Mansion, but would be raised by Liu Rong according to the normal standards for raising a daughter in the Marquis' Mansion.

When she reached marriageable age, she was sent to the palace by Liu Rong.

The reason was easy to find - they were worried that Empress Cao had no one to take care of her in the palace, so they sent a group of maids from the Marquis Pingyang's Mansion to be with Empress Cao.

Then, of course, Liu Rong accepted everything. While he and Queen Cao were being affectionate in the Pepper Room, he also pulled the maid who was serving them beside him into the bed.

If I do it a few more times, even if it's a matter of chance, I can always successfully pull Wei Zifu into the bed...

"Cough cough cough..."

"I am such a piece of shit..."

"A little girl in her early teens, I'm already thinking about her..."

"Cough, cough, cough, cough..." "Don't be impatient, wait until you grow up."

"I am not a beast, it is really for the sake of the ancestral temple and the country..."

···
"It's a pity that my Champion Marquis has not yet been born..."

"——If it doesn't work, leave it to the future prince?"

"After all, by the time the champion marquis becomes famous throughout the world, I will be over 40 years old..."

"So, my useless boy is most likely about the same age as the Champion Marquis?"

"Hmm~"

"Let Guanjun Hou be the study companion for that brat."

"Perfect……"

·
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"Teng concubine?"

"My sister has just moved into the Pepper Room. Your Majesty has not even stayed overnight in the Pepper Room yet;"

"Then proceed to enter Teng's concubine's room..."

"But why?"

At the same time, in the Pepper Room of Weiyang Palace.

The Pepper Palace, which had been deserted for several years due to Empress Xiaojingbo moving out of the Weiyang Palace, burst into life again with the entry of Empress Cao.

Especially when the emperor was newly married, although he had not yet spent the night in the Pepper Room, joy and anticipation still filled the entire Pepper Room.

But it was in this festive atmosphere that was slightly disappointed but full of expectations that Queen Cao, who failed to wait for the emperor's honor, waited for her brother first: Pingyang Marquis Cao Shou.

If it was just an ordinary visit, that would be fine;

——Having just moved into the Pepper Palace, Empress Cao herself was a little unsure. Naturally, Cao Shu was happy that her brother could come to see her and talk to her.

But the news brought by her brother made Cao Shu frown, and a sense of crisis surged in her heart.

Concubine Teng!

For ladies from wealthy families and children from prominent families, this word is not unfamiliar.

Normally, when a noble married off their daughter, they did not just send one daughter off to marry, but also sent along their legitimate daughter, as well as thirty or two concubines' daughters and seven or eight maids as dowries.

In most cases, the maid who was married as a concubine of Teng would be the maid who had been with the main wife since childhood, that is, the legitimate daughter who was actually married.

The main reason for doing so was that the nobles were worried that their daughters would be alone in their husband's house after they got married, with no one to talk to or to order around.
Another thing is that my daughter, who has left the home where she grew up and is living in a completely new environment, should have at least a few "elderly people" around her so that she won't feel too uncomfortable with the environment.

It was the same for ordinary nobles to marry off their daughters. When Cao Shu entered the imperial concubine's room, she also brought with her a very large "team" of concubines as a dowry.

——Cao Shu brought with her six illegitimate sisters from the Cao family’s side branches alone!

As for the maids who served him, there were more than twenty of them, divided into different parts.

In fact, this was a necessary measure taken by the queen in this era to ensure her own status.

Because in theory, the thirty or so "acquaintances" that Cao Shu brought into the palace could all be overthrown by Liu Rong at any time.

But the princes and princesses born to these people will all be Cao Shu’s children!
As for the real biological mother, the lucky concubine Teng, at most she was raising the prince and princess for Cao Shu, who were born to her but not her own.

Teng concubine Teng concubine - a concubine who clings to her master like a vine, but cannot live alone without him.

In other words, Concubine Teng was the Queen's means of ensuring that the right to conceive the royal heir would be retained in the Pepper Palace to the greatest extent possible.

After all, even if Liu Rong had a body of iron, the more than 30 women in the Pepper Palace would be enough for him to digest for several years without getting bored.

During the reign of Emperor Xiaojing, Empress Bo was naturally not entitled to have children for political reasons. Naturally, the concubines in the Pepper Palace were implicated by Empress Bo and, after wasting years in the palace, were sent out to fend for themselves.

But Cao Shu was different.

As a 'normal' queen, Cao Shu had absolute confidence in keeping Liu Rong's first child - or even the first three or five children - in the Pepper Palace!
Especially when it comes to the eldest prince, Cao Shu has the confidence and determination to give birth to the child on her own without relying on Concubine Teng's womb!
But after moving into the Pepper Palace, even though Cao Shu had been carefully nurtured by the Pingyang Marquis's Mansion since childhood, she became somewhat impatient.

——It has been more than a month, and Liu Rong has never spent the night in the Pepper Palace!
Although she came to visit Cao Shu often, she always left after chatting for a while, and never gave Cao Shu the chance to use her feminine charm to force Liu Rong to stay overnight!
Although she was quite sure that she would not become the second Queen Bo - the Pingyang Marquis family behind her did not have the strength and conditions to "make her become the second Queen Bo";
But after staying alone in her room for more than a month, Cao Shu couldn't help but feel a little worried.

But today, my brother came to see me in the Pepper Room for the first time, and brought me such shocking news that "I will be your concubine in the Pepper Room again in a few years"...

"Could it be that your Majesty is dissatisfied with the appearance of the concubine Teng that I brought into the palace?"

Cao Shu didn't think about herself.

It’s not that Cao Shu was absolutely confident in her beauty, but as the queen, her survival in the harem did not depend on her beauty.

——Marry a virtuous wife and take a beautiful concubine.

What Cao Shu wanted to do was not to become the most beautiful one in the harem;
Instead, she had to become the "most virtuous" person who could manage the beauties in the harem, provide Liu Rong with a stable rear base, and thereby demonstrate her own abilities.

As for her appearance, although Cao Shu was not absolutely beautiful, she still had regular features, was gentle, kind and graceful, at least she was not ugly.

——If Liu Rong still wanted a legitimate eldest son, he would not have been so hard-hearted as to say such things to Cao Shu.

As for the concubine Teng that Cao Shu brought into the palace, she needed to pay attention to her appearance, so that Liu Rong would not be dissatisfied with her and thus could not keep Liu Rong's heart - mainly Liu Rong's body - in the Pepper Room more and more frequently...

"In my opinion, it's not because of her looks."

"After all, Wei Zifu was born of a slave;"

"——What's more, your Majesty has never seen it!"

"Perhaps it's because Wei Zifu's family background is related to an old friend of your majesty..."

Seeing that his brother also looked puzzled, Cao Shu thought about it again and again, and finally frowned slightly, and nodded slowly with suspicion.

After thinking for a while, he said hesitantly, "Since His Majesty has specifically asked for her to be brought into the palace, Brother will take care of her."

"——When I have the chance to leave the palace in the future, I will meet him."

"As long as you don't take it too seriously, it wouldn't be a bad thing to bring her to the palace and keep her by my side..."

···
"Brother, please also take the trouble to check Wei Ai's family background."

"If you really can't find anything, go check Zheng Ji."

"If that doesn't work, check the children Wei Ai gave birth to."

"——I always feel that Your Majesty doesn't just want Wei Zifu;"

"Even if we can't find anything, we still have to check it out, so that we can feel a little more at ease..."

(End of this chapter)