Liu Mingzhi achieved his goal, exhaled and raised his hands high, stretched his waist that was a little sore from the pretty girl Tao Ying, and slowly stood up.
"Okay, apart from the urgent military situation at the border, I have nothing else to do when I enter the palace this time.
As for how to annihilate the uninvited enemy troops as quickly as possible, you should each perform your duties to deal with this matter.
My beloved concubine is about to give me another heir. Because of the urgent military situation on the border, I don’t know yet whether he will be a prince or a princess!
I won’t chat with you anymore, I’m going home first, you can get busy!”
Qin Ziying, the Minister of Rites, immediately came to greet him: "Your Majesty, do you want to hold a big banquet in the palace this time to invite all the officials to celebrate Your Majesty?"
After Liu Mingzhi became emperor, and after the birth of several of his children, Liu Mingzhi never held a big banquet. Instead, he hosted some important relatives and friends at home and served a table of home-cooked meals.
Although Qin Ziying knew Liu Mingzhi's habits, as the Minister of Rites, he still had to ask questions step by step.
Liu Mingzhi waved his hand casually: "Old rule, the national treasury is tight, it is better not to be extravagant and wasteful."
"Yes, I understand."
"If you old guys want to feel happy, just ask the royal chef in the palace to prepare a few banquets for you and have a few drinks as before.
Don't delay government affairs."
"I understand, thank you Your Majesty."
"That's it, I'll go back to visit the newborn baby first."
"I congratulate your Majesty and send you off."
Young Master Liu stopped exchanging pleasantries, picked up his cloak and put it on his body. He couldn't wait to run out of the palace, took the horse rein from the hands of the Forbidden Army soldiers, got on his horse and galloped towards the outside of the palace.
After the sound of horse hooves faded away, Song Yu gently touched Lao Jiang, who was meditating secretly.
"Jiang Shangshu, if you want food and grass, you must provide food and grass, and if you want military equipment, you must provide military equipment. Isn't your promise to His Majesty a little too arbitrary?
You know, the consumption of transporting grain and grass during this season is nearly double that when the roads are open.
The treasury has finally accumulated some wealth, so don’t lose it all at once!"
Du Chenghao, the Minister of Personnel, also nodded in agreement: "Song Shangshu is right, Lao Jiang, you are so overbearing that we have no chance to help you relax.
Although the imperial court stopped supplying food and grass to the Western Expedition Army two months ago, the current treasury is still not full.
We have just finished discussing how to save the money for building His Majesty's imperial mausoleum, and now you are here, you are not going to use the money for building the imperial mausoleum directly, are you?"
Lao Jiang came back to his senses and looked at a group of colleagues who were in a good mood and worried about him and waved their hands casually.
"No, I have just thought about it. We can just mobilize the food and grass nearby from Beifu and the Sixth Prefecture of Beidi.
This year's winter taxes will not be paid to the national treasury until next spring. Now there is quite a lot of food and grass in the warehouses of various state capitals.
Grain and fodder are mobilized from these two places nearby, which saves 80% of the consumption of transporting grain and fodder.
Although I have not yet informed Your Majesty of this plan, I know that Your Majesty will definitely agree to it.
After all, even if the grain and grass are transported to the treasury and then mobilized, it is just a matter of turning left and right.
Why go to all the trouble and consume so much food and grass in vain?
Do you think this is true?"
"This... this is a good idea, but no matter which state capital's grain reserves are mobilized, I'm afraid the local officials will complain endlessly."
"It makes sense. Although the food and grass of the Western Expedition Army can be captured in the enemy's territory and forced to be self-sufficient, the food and grass we consumed before is also not a small amount.
This has only stopped for about two months, and we have to collect grain and grass again. It is inevitable that officials in various state capitals will get upset.
Things are different now.
Regarding the sentiments of state officials from various places below, our cabinet officials are the first to bear the brunt!"
"The great undertakings of the country and the great military affairs cannot tolerate their complaints."
"What about the cost of replenishing artillery shells and arrows? It's not a small amount!"
Lao Jiang looked at the minister of the Ministry of Industry who asked him, tugged his beard and glanced around at his colleagues, and raised a strange smile at the corner of his mouth.
"My lords and colleagues.
You say, if the famous families, wealthy merchants and gentry in the common people know that there are exotic flowers and herbs in Tsarist Russia, and the men eat them, not only can they prolong their lives, but they can stay up all night and watch many beauties without any harm.
What will happen if I feel refreshed and energetic the next day and my young husband is fine?
After the news spreads, if this is the case, it shouldn't be too difficult for me to raise some military resources as an excuse, right?
Huh? What do you think?"
All the cabinet officials stared blankly at Lao Jiang's questioning gaze for a while, and then gradually came to their senses.
After looking at Lao Jiang strangely for a moment, each of them coughed slightly, picked up their tea cups and looked through the memorials in their hands.
"Xia Shoufu, Mrs. Xiaguan has stewed an old hen. Let's try it together after the court is over?"
"no problem!"
"Du Shangshu, how about I shamelessly ask for a bowl?"
“Welcome!
A bowl of chicken soup is not enough for me to turn you away."
"Then I'll go and beg for a bowl."
"We are waiting for you!"
Lao Jiang looked at the reactions of his colleagues and felt that he was asking for trouble. He waved his official robe angrily and stood up and walked out of the hall.
"If you don't go, I'll go by myself, what the hell!"
After about half a stick of incense, Mr. Liu tightened his horse's reins and ran towards the door of his house like a raging wind.
"Master, you are back!"
"Stop talking nonsense, where are the people?
Forget it, I’ll go to the inner courtyard by myself, and you can tie the horse to the backyard first!”
The servants looked helplessly at Young Master Liu's figure running towards the inner courtyard eagerly, and could only walk out of the door to get the horse.
As soon as he entered the inner courtyard, Master Liu vaguely heard the woman's heart-rending shouts. He immediately became worried and trotted towards Xue Bizhu's courtyard.
"What's going on? It's been so long, why haven't you given birth yet? Did it happen... Huh?"
After rushing to the courtyard, Liu Mingzhi discovered that the shouting seemed to be coming from Huang Lingyi's courtyard next door.
Seeing Qi Ya coming out of Xue Bizhu's boudoir, Mr. Liu hurriedly greeted her.
"Sister Ya, what's going on? Isn't Bizhu giving birth? Why is Lingyi crying non-stop?"
Qi Ya wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief and rolled her eyes at Young Master Liu angrily: "Silly husband, sister Lingyi also gave birth together!"
"So that's it. Where is Bizhu? How is Bizhu? How is the child?"
"Mother and child are safe!"
Liu Mingzhi muttered that mother and son were safe, and looked at Qi Ya in surprise: "Is it his son?"
"Yes, sister Bizhu gave birth to a baby boy for you! Gao must be very happy now!"
Liu Dashao smiled and scratched his head: "Sister Ya, what are you talking about? To my husband, there is no difference between son and daughter.
I'll go see Bizhu and his son first, and then go to Lingyi's place."
Qi Ya grabbed Mr. Liu's sleeve and said: "The midwife is cleaning the baby, and the maids are also cleaning up the woman's filth after giving birth. What does it look like when you go in now?
Let’s go to Sister Lingyi’s place first, and think of the child’s name by the way.”
Liu Mingzhi glanced at the crack in the door and nodded hesitantly: "Okay, then I'll go to Lingyi's place first.
Sister Ya, thank you for taking care of Bizhu, I'll go over first."
Qi Ya looked at her husband's rough figure rushing towards the yard next door, with a happy smile on her face.
"Silly!"
As soon as Liu Mingzhi entered Huang Lingyi's courtyard, Mrs. Liu and a large group of young ladies Liu were wandering around in the courtyard like ants on a hot pot.
Clenching her hands tightly together, she glanced at Huang Lingyi's boudoir from time to time.
"Mother, Yun'er, Yao'er, Wanyan, Yan'er... are you all here? How is Lingyi?"
"Husband, you are back!"
"Husband!"
"Husband!"
"How is Lingyi? There's no danger, right?"
Mrs. Liu grabbed Young Master Liu's ear and twisted it hard: "You idiot, can't you say something nice? You have a bad mouth as soon as you come back!"
"Oh, oh, please, please, please, mother, I was wrong. I was wrong, isn't that okay?
The child just cares about Lingyi, I won't talk nonsense anymore, let go!"
Mrs. Liu twisted hard again and then let go of Young Master Liu's ear: "You don't even know how to get back in time when you have a baby. I really don't deserve a husband like you."
"Mother, don't I want to come back in a hurry? But after all, national affairs are the most important thing!
There is an emergency military situation at the border, what can I do?"
"What's the use of telling me this? Go talk to your wife!"
"Yes, yes, all the mistakes are the child's fault. I shouldn't..."
"Wow……"
A loud cry interrupted Mr. Liu's words, causing everyone in the yard to look into the room in surprise.
Young Master Liu even rubbed his palms and laughed happily.
After a while, a maid with a pretty face flushed from anxiety ran out.
"Master, you are a young lady. Mother and daughter are safe, mother and daughter are safe!"
Young Master Liu clapped his hands heavily: "Great! Rewards, all rewards."
"Thank you, Master!"
"Sisters congratulate your husband on the birth of a dragon son and a dragon girl."
"Get up, get up, how can a family have so many false gifts?"
Qi Yun looked at Young Master Liu with a slight smile: "Mother and son are safe, mother and daughter are safe, husband, it's time to give the brother and sister a name!"
"Yes, yes, it's time to choose a name. Let me, my husband, think about it carefully."
Liu Mingzhi lowered his head and pondered for a moment: "My brother is successful, and his name is Zheng. My sister's name is mostly taken from the Book of Songs.
The boy's name is Liu Yunrui, he is a man of great success, and he is smart and wise. The daughter's name is Liu Kexin, she is cute and well-behaved, kind-hearted and sincere."
"Good name!"
"Mom, Yun'er, you two have to worry about entertaining the guests."
"I know."
"My mother is already over fifty, yet she still has to worry about you."
Liu Mingzhi's happiness of having a son and a daughter diluted the worries of going to war with Tsarist Russia.
In the days that followed, preparations began for the banquet.
The Dalong court is also on the road to annihilating the troops of Tsarist Russia and the former Western Turks in one fell swoop!