if we don’t eliminate this group of bandits, we will be in danger at all times.”“Yes, and quickly!” Liu Biaotou also said, “They don’t even look at us refugees as if we are afraid to tremble. They thi...As for the Duke's residence, joy knew no bounds, so much so that the pain of parting with ten thousand taels of silver was completely forgotten.

Words cannot contain secrets forever, there are no impenetrable walls in the world. In Xindu, nothing remains hidden...

The Marquis of Zhen Guo's son was arrested, and the Marquis went to the palace to offer silver to alleviate his worries. The next day, the son was released and even received a marriage decree. He is about to marry Jiang Ning Hou's eldest daughter - the Emperor's cousin.

That means, after this, the Duke of Zhen Guo's son will become the Emperor's brother-in-law!

This world is so magical...

No, it should be said that silver is amazing.

Ten thousand taels, could bring the dead back to life, and grant one's wishes!

Some people even felt moved and thought about offering a few thousand to fulfill their wishes, but those who thought this way were incredibly foolish.

True wisdom brings no joy at this moment, but rather furrows the brow.

In the garden of a certain manor, three or five friends were drinking tea together.

Someone glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then whispered, “The treasury is empty, and the Emperor has reached his limit. This incident with Prince Regent is a way for him to warn everyone, to get everyone to contribute to easing the nation's burden.”

“Yes, I see that too, but our families have only just settled here after moving from Kyoto. We're still recovering and don't have the strength to do anything about it.” The man beside him twirled a jade ring on his finger, frowning as if in deep thought.

Unfortunately, no one believed him when he said that. After all, the jade ring he was playing with was a top-grade piece of blood jade—a small piece that would likely cost thousands of taels of silver, if not more.

But no one spoke up to expose him, because they didn't want to spend any money.

Someone said, “Speaking of it, the Emperor is also in a hurry. Just wait until the autumn harvest, when the grain tax comes in, everything will naturally be resolved.”

"Indeed," another voice chimed in, "and there's the Northern Expeditionary Army. Every campaign drains a vast amount of silver and grain. It's such a waste. The barbarian tribes from the east can't even reach Jiangnan, so why bother fighting them in the north!"

"Hmph, how can Marquis XinTing become renowned without going to Jiangbei!"

"I mean, the Jinsha River is treacherous, and the barbarians are fierce. Could they even fly over with wings"

To put it simply, it's Marquis Xin Ting who is whispering in the emperor's ear, constantly bringing up the recovery of lost territories. You have to understand that our military power has been severely weakened right now. We need ten or even twenty years to recuperate and rebuild our strength before we can slowly devise a plan to expel the barbarians. There's nothing wrong with that.

Everyone talked about it, and they all agreed.

As for donating money, sharing the country's worries, that had long been deliberately forgotten by them.

Let's see what happens later. Perhaps the Emperor's punishment of the Duke of Zhen is just a moment of anger...

Without mentioning the gossip, speculations, and evasions behind each household in Kyoto, let's just say that even the Jiangning Houfu received a holy decree for marriage. Unlike the joy in the Zhen Guogongfu, the entire Wu family was in an uproar.

Lord Jiangning, who was over seventy years old, and his wife, along with their gray-haired son and daughter-in-law, as well as the couple of his second son, all sat in the hall, their expressions grim.

Especially the second madam, she had already pulled out her handkerchief and was wiping her tears, sobbing softly: “Everyone in the family knows Lian’er’s intentions. We thought that with the Empress present, she would surely get what she wished for. Who knew that she would suddenly be betrothed to that wastrel of a prince!”

"Didn't the Empress stay in the palace How come we haven't heard a single word from her She didn't even try to stop the Emperor"

Hearing this, she blamed even the Empress.

The Empress Dowager's mother, that is, the Duchess of the Prince was displeased.

She had originally wanted to advise her sister-in-law and help brainstorm solutions, but now she changed her mind and replied nonchalantly: “Sister-in-law, what you said is not right. As you said, the Empress is the Empress, not the Emperor! If the Emperor wants to bestow a marriage, how can the Empress stop it Would she stubbornly remonstrate”

"Don't say that the Empress Dowager won't be able to live in the palace after this, even our entire Marquisate will be implicated! Sisters and brothers, do you really want to sacrifice everyone for Bi Lian"

"I'm not!" The Second Madam was flustered, "But that doesn't mean you should stare like that! We agreed before that the Empress would speak to the Emperor more and finalize the marriage between Lian'er and Lord Xinti. There hasn't been any news about it."

"Now things are alright, Lian'er was given in marriage to someone else. She fainted directly and when she woke up, she didn't even know what to do!"

As she spoke, the second madam cried even louder, "My poor daughter! I was already nearing thirty when I conceived her. She was born beautiful and intelligent, graceful and composed. How could she have such a cruel fate!"

The old Marquis and the Marchioness were driven to headaches by her crying. The Marchioness stopped her, saying, "Stop crying, the matter has already happened. Think of a way to solve it."

The Second Madam wiped her tears and choked out, "Mother, that is an imperial decree! Only the Empress Dowager can beg the Emperor!"

The Empress is Lian'er's elder sister, and she definitely wouldn't want Lian'er to marry a wastrel. If Lian'er could marry the Marquis of Xinting, he has military power and would also be a great help to the Empress...

“Be quiet!” This time, Old Master Hou spoke angrily. He subconsciously looked outside the door and, seeing no outsiders, glared at his foolish daughter-in-law with a black face. “What nonsense are you talking about If this gets out, the whole family will be ruined!”

There are some things that can be planned, but absolutely cannot be spoken out loud.

What are the Empress's relatives plotting What are their intentions with military power

Rebellion

The second mistress also knew she had spoken wrongly, shrinking her neck and saying, “I was just too worried about Lian’er...”

The old gentleman couldn't ignore his wife and was even more concerned for his daughter. He pleaded with his father, "Father, don't dwell on this too much. It's best if the elder sister-in-law goes to the palace as soon as possible."

The old marquis nodded, without saying how he felt about his granddaughter's intentions. He only said that their marquisate, no matter what, could not marry into the Duke of Zhen Guo's family.

The Duke of Zhen Guo had no real power, he only knew how to live a life of subservience. What's worse, his son was also useless.

This time, he was caught red-handed by the Emperor and had a large chunk of his power taken away. Now everyone sees Lord Zhen Guo as nothing more than a fat pig to be exploited!

The Wu family is the empress's maternal clan, how can they be related to a pig!

The old Marquis sighed, "Go to the palace and beg the Empress to persuade the Emperor. Ideally, He should revoke the decree. Even if Lian'er can't marry Xinting Hou, she absolutely cannot marry into Zhen Guo Gongfu!"

The Crown Princess couldn't disobey her father-in-law's orders, but she was uneasy and could only say: "I'll try to talk to the Empress, but I'm afraid there's no room for compromise in this matter. After all, I've never heard of an imperial decree being revoked..."

This truth, of course everyone present knows, but nobody is willing to accept it, still we have to give it a try!

The madam consort was unable to, so she rose and took her leave.

One has to send someone in with a sign, change into court robes, and even prepare an excuse for entering the palace...

Luckily, the Third Princess is having her birthday, and the family specially made a set of jewelry for her.

She was about to step outside when a midwife suddenly ran up, shouting, "Oh no, something terrible has happened!"

Here are three chapters~~~much to arrange and plan.Lady Cui stayed behind and took Jia Yin to the mountain valley to look for Old Madam.Just as the old woman was carrying a food box back, she saw them and smiled: "Jinerou, the...