The guests had all left.
Emperor Feng sat in his study, sipping hot tea.
"Samuer will be leaving in two days."
"All the rewards for Western Liang have been prepared."
"Xiao Ning, you will escort her out of Chang'an."
"Alright."
Ning Que nodded with a smile.
He also had private dealings with Samuer.
The deaths of his father and brother were still unclear.
Perhaps it really was related to the Gu Family.
Or perhaps there was someone else behind it all.
He still had to continue investigating.
"You did well this time."
"You hosted a banquet and received gifts, and you earned more from the drinking game."
"The Baibao Pavilion must have made a fortune selling mahjong these past few days, right?"
"Xiao Ning, I congratulate you on getting rich!"
"What fortune..." Ning Que waved his hands repeatedly, continuing to complain about his poverty: "I'm so poor I'm almost begging for food. Imperial Brother, you know the Manor needs money everywhere. Jingyang also has daily expenses, and it's estimated it will be difficult to recover until next year."
Emperor Feng just smiled.
This was something to hear, but definitely not to believe.
He mainly enjoyed hearing Ning Que complain about his hardships.
"Jingyang indeed needs a lot of money."
"That's too much." Ning Que made a bitter face, continuing to complain about his hardships: "The locusts have been caught, but the disaster victims still need to work. The ancestral home needs repairs, and we also need to reclaim wasteland and repair farm tools. We need to dredge rivers and build workshops. We also have to survive the coming cold winter, I really have no choice..."
"I heard from the Ministry of Revenue that you're having them plant Shu Mai (Winter Wheat)?"
"Yes."
Ning Que nodded, explaining: "Shu Mai (Winter Wheat) is wheat that survives the winter. Farming emphasizes adapting to the times. For example, near Chang'an, it's a single crop per year, mainly millet. Jingyang suffered a locust plague, and it's too late to plant millet again. Planting winter wheat, which has stronger cold resistance, at this time allows us to race against time. With winter wheat, the people can better resist natural disasters."
Great Feng had no concept of winter wheat before.
At least no one had mentioned it near Chang'an.
The common people originally planted one crop a year.
With winter wheat, they could plant three crops in two years.
This was equivalent to an extra season's harvest.
Of course, there were also disadvantages.
In this era, there was no chemical fertilizer, and over time, it would definitely overdraw the land's fertility. Once the fertility was absorbed, the land would become compacted, making it easy to ruin the land for farming. Ning Que ordered the dredging of rivers precisely to use the silt for composting and fermenting fertilizer.
"Very good."
"You will be responsible for related matters."
"If it can truly be cultivated, then have the Ministry of Revenue spread the word."
"Promote winter wheat in suitable places."
"No, please don't." Ning Que advised, "If a place suffers a disaster and the timing is right, winter wheat can be promoted to resist the disaster, but this is a last resort. If winter wheat is treated as the norm and planted three times in two years, it's very easy to ruin the fields."
Emperor Feng was thoughtful.
After a long while, he sighed softly.
"Then it will be as you say."
"Is Imperial Brother very short on grain now?"
Emperor Feng casually picked up a ledger and said softly: "We are currently in an era of great contention, with frequent conflicts between nations. The strong survive, the weak perish."
"All that the sun and moon shine upon shall be the territory of Great Feng. You have set an incredibly ambitious goal for Great Feng, and I will strive for it my entire life. Slogans are easy to shout, but achieving them is not easy. Now that an alliance has been signed with Western Liang, we can freely deal with the Liao Kingdom. A great war is about to begin, so the more grain, the better."
"Indeed..."
Ning Que sighed softly.
It wasn't that Great Feng wanted to fight.
But the Liao Kingdom had been increasing its troops for years.
The Liao Kingdom had developed quietly for many years and now had many soldiers and generals. Not only did they occupy the Hetao Grassland, but they also showed strong signs of wanting to start a war.
Now that Great Feng had made peace with Western Liang and was completely free, it was time to counterattack the Liao Kingdom. Not to mention reclaiming the Hetao Grassland, they at least had to weaken the Liao Kingdom's effective forces.
Emperor Feng looked at Ning Que and said softly: "Since Gaozu founded the nation, the Ning Royal Mansion has always commanded the troops. Gu Yuan is not capable of great use. If the two nations go to war, you will still have to be responsible. It's just that you have never led troops before, and you may not be able to command respect. Fortunately, your maternal uncle is guarding Yanmen Pass. When the time comes, you can take the Three Guards there to fight a few good battles, and then I can use you, and you will command respect."
"I'll listen to Imperial Brother."
Ning Que smiled.
Actually, he didn't like fighting.
When his father and brother were still alive, Ning Que often slacked off and refused to learn military strategy, which always angered his father. But now, he was the only one left in the entire Manor, and he had to restore the prestige of Ning Royal Mansion!
Currently guarding Yanmen Pass and resisting the Liao Kingdom was his maternal uncle, Feng Wuzhe. He held the official position of Grand General, the noble title of Duke of Zhen, and was also the head of the Feng, one of the eight great aristocratic families of Chang'an. For years, he had been in the northern frontier, responsible for defending against the Liao Kingdom's cavalry.
"You just need to be prepared."
"I have already ordered the transfer of troops from the Western Border."
"At the same time, five prefectural granaries will be opened to aid Yanmen."
"It's still best to be wary of Western Liang."
Ning Que couldn't help but remind him.
According to Samuer, Western Liang still intended to act against Gu Yuan. However, this matter concerned diplomatic relations between the two countries and could not be openly discussed. The Crown Prince of Western Liang distinguished between public and private matters and should not wage war against Great Feng.
Of course, they still had to be careful of them playing tricks in secret.
Ning Que certainly wished Gu Yuan dead.
But this matter wasn't that simple.
Gu Yuan was, after all, a general of Great Feng now.
He also had some prestige and influence in the military.
If he were truly killed by the Western Liang people, Great Feng would be equivalent to being slapped hard across the face. Even if unwilling, Great Feng would have to send troops to respond.
Also, Gu Yuan knew many things.
Were the deaths of his father and brother related to the Gu Family?
Was someone framing them, or was it the Gu Family's doing?
"Mm, I know."
Emperor Feng nodded.
An alliance treaty was useful when it was useful, and when it wasn't, it was just a piece of waste paper. Moreover, one must be wary of others, and the Western Border still needed to maintain a certain military presence.
"Alright, it's getting late."
"You should rest early; you still need to rebuild the Three Guards."
"In a while, there will also be the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, and the Liao Kingdom will send envoys to offer congratulations. I estimate they have ulterior motives and are coming to intimidate Great Feng. You must be prepared for everything."
"This subject understands." Ning Que smiled and stood up, "I'll see Imperial Brother off."
"No need."
Emperor Feng smiled and waved his sleeve.
He walked out of the study and looked up at the bright moon.
"Xiao Ning."
"Does Imperial Brother have any other instructions?"
"Now, you are the only one I can truly rely on." Emperor Feng murmured softly, "Great Feng appears stable, but in reality, it faces both internal and external troubles. You must mature quickly."
"This subject will not fail Imperial Brother's expectations!"
"Mm."
Emperor Feng waved his sleeve and departed.
Chief Steward Hu followed closely behind with the imperial guards. Once they were out of the Manor, Ning Que finally exhaled at the entrance. What did Emperor Feng mean by what he just said?
Did he want him to take power quickly?
It seemed Emperor Feng's situation was not optimistic!
"Your Highness."
"Have they all left?"
"Mm."
Ning Que looked at Butler Fu and said with a smile: "You've been busy today too, rest early. Tomorrow morning, we'll go to Jingyang to quickly form the Three Guards, and then we'll have to handle household registration and such."
"Yes!"
Butler Fu cupped his hands in a bow.
The Manor finally had the Three Guards again!
If Old Prince Ning knew, he would be able to rest in peace!