"The child has seen his mother!"

Kunning Palace, Zheng Chengji came here immediately after finishing his court session.

Queen Lu Lin'er had been waiting for a long time.

In addition, there are Lu Lin'er's two elder brothers, Lu Jiye and Lu Jizu.

Seeing Zheng Chengji coming in, Lu Lin'er hurried over to him, holding his hand and saying:

"Thank you for your hard work, kid~!"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

The two uncles also hurried forward to pay their respects.

"Uncles, please get up quickly~!"

Zheng Chengji first spoke to his two uncles, and then to Lu Lin'er:

"I will share the worries of my father and mother, so I won't have to work hard."

"Okay, okay, you are worthy of being my child~!"

Lu Lin'er hugged Zheng Chengji tightly, her eyes full of pity.

After a long time, they separated amid Zheng Chengji's struggle.

He blushed and said, "By the way, mother, where is father?"

"Your father..."

Lu Lin'er's face changed slightly, and she smiled bitterly and said, "Your father has already gone to the Tianshou Mountain Palace with the monks in the palace early this morning."

"There are also more than a thousand nobles, more than three thousand eunuchs, palace maids, etc. accompanying them to serve your father and other ladies."

"Don't be sad, mother. I will come to see you every day from now on!"

"Good boy~!"

Lu Lin'er said lovingly, "By the way, what did the cabinet say at the morning court today? And how did you respond?"

Zheng Chengji thought for a moment and said, "At the court this morning, General Xu Mujun told me a lot of things."

"For example, the Crown Prince of Wei State unfortunately passed away, and my father also ordered that the surrender of the Third Prince of Wei State be rejected. He was just waiting to capture the capital of Wei State, eliminate the Third Prince, and then let Dayu take charge of the entire Wei State."

Lu Lin'er warned: "This is a merit for expanding territory. Your father has already made the decision and it cannot be changed."

"The most important thing is that this achievement of expanding the territory was accomplished in your name, my son."

"You will have a place in the history books by then. You just need to follow the arrangements of the ministers in the cabinet."

"My son, take your orders!"

Zheng Chengji added: "In addition to this matter, there is another matter."

"General Xu explained to me that my father had ordered the establishment of five major military regions to guard Dayu."

"I don't even know the generals of the five military regions, nor do I know the generals of the Beiyang Navy. The Nanyang Navy hasn't even been established yet..."

Lu Lin'er thought for a moment and said, "The five generals are all great generals on the frontier, and they have made great contributions to our Great Yu in suppressing the rebellion. However, they are loyal to Great Yu, so you don't have to worry too much."

"Then, after the five major military regions are officially established, you can issue an order to reward their families generously to demonstrate the Crown Prince's benevolence."

"Children take orders!"

Zheng Chengji immediately felt relieved.

The political affairs that were originally confusing became so clear and smooth after the queen mother's analysis.

He couldn't help but laugh and said, "It would be great if my mother could help me deal with government affairs~"

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of his two uncles beside him changed, and even Lu Lin'er's eyes lit up.

But she quickly shook her head and said, "No, Taizu has ordered that the harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs."

"Mother, you are doing this today so that you can take control of the court as soon as possible and relieve your father's worries."

"When you come of age, you'll need to handle it on your own."

"Besides, you still have the cabinet, and the Queen Mother cannot interfere."

Zheng Chengji couldn't help but curl his lips and said, "The child knows."

Lu Lin'er suddenly said in a very serious tone: "Oh, there is one more thing that I must complete. Don't slack off."

Zheng Chengji was surprised and asked, "Mother, what's the matter?"

"He was made the general of Xu Mu's army and was given a title."

Lu Lin'er spoke word by word: "General Xu has made great contributions. He is the best in Dayu."

"According to your father's original intention, he wanted to confer the title of Duke on General Xu, but General Xu kept declining, so your father stayed for the time being."

"But now you have been appointed as the crown prince, and you have the power to govern the country."

"Your father and several other ladies are in seclusion for training and will not appear in the next ten years, so the matter of conferring the title falls on you."

"This is also one of the means your father used to win over General Xu in order to stay."

Lu Lin'er continued, "Among the five major military regions that your father advocated, the Central Military Region, the Northern Military Region, and the Southern Military Region are all run by General Xu's men."

"Even Cui Xiawu from the Eastern Military Region once worked under General Xu."

"And General Miao Xiu of the Western Military Region is a good friend of General Xu..."

"In this way, almost all of the five major military regions are Xu Mujun's people."

"Of course, General Xu is loyal to Dayu, but it is inevitable that someone will be secretly plotting, so we must be prepared for any eventuality."

"Bestowing a title on General Xu and winning over General Xu is also about making friends with the military. Do you understand?"

Zheng Chengji nodded and said, "I understand, but I don't know what title to confer on General Xu?"

"First-class Zhenguogong."

Lu Lin'er added: "It is hereditary and unchangeable."

"hiss……"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Jiye and Lu Jizu beside him subconsciously took a breath of cold air.

The first-class Duke of Zhenguo is hereditary!
In other words, after Xu Mujun's death, his descendants will also inherit the title of Duke of Zhenguo.

As long as the Dayu Dynasty exists, Xu Mujun and his family will always hold duke positions.

This kind of status is enough to be called second to none and above ten thousand people!
Rest with the country!

Zheng Chengji also understood what these two words meant, and nodded, "Mother, I understand."

"I will discuss this with the cabinet tomorrow, and at the next court session, I will confer the title of Duke of the State upon General Xu."

"Good~"

Lu Lin'er nodded in satisfaction, and then said, "My child must be tired too. Come, take His Royal Highness the Crown Prince down to rest."

"Yes, my lady~!"

Two maids came forward, and Zheng Chengji also said respectfully: "Mother, the child will go down first."

"Hmm~"

Only after Zheng Chengji left did Lu Lin'er breathe a sigh of relief.

The first time he was regent, nothing unexpected happened.

It seems that Ji'er's position as crown prince is secure.

“Lu Xin!”

Lu Jiye suddenly asked, "Is there anything unusual about His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's attitude towards General Xu?"

"Sir, there is nothing unusual."

"Nothing unusual... Go down and serve His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"promise!"

Lu Xin said respectfully, then retreated.

Lu Lin'er asked curiously, "Brother, why are you asking this?"

Lu Jiye said: "Empress, General Xu's status and power are too great."

"You also said that almost all the commanders of the five major military regions have a connection with him."

"Either his clansmen, his subordinates, or his friends... He is the best in the military, truly second to none." "Has Her Majesty forgotten what happened to Prime Minister Yang in the past?"

"People's hearts will change. General Xu is loyal and brave for the country, but there is no guarantee that he will always be like this, and there are also his people..."

Lu Jiye said: "For the sake of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and our Lu family, we must obtain military power!"

"Otherwise, if General Xu and the Second Prince start a war, we will be able to resist!"

Lu Lin'er's expression also changed.

Yes.

Xu Mujun's power is really too great.

As long as he wanted, he could force the second prince to be the crown prince, or even the throne, at any time.

Thinking of this, Lu Lin'er couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

"Brother, what do you think?"

Lu Jiye's eyes flashed, and he said, "The most urgent task is to control the imperial palace guards first."

"The Imperial Guards are the elite of all the armies, guarding the Imperial Palace, and they also have the advantage of firearms."

"Only by replacing the imperial guards with our own people and keeping them firmly under our control can we ensure the safety of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the stability of his position."

"The next step is to win over other members of the military."

Lu Lin'er frowned and said, "Almost all the military personnel are General Xu's men. How can we win them over?"

Lu Jizu on the side suddenly said: "Li Changfeng."

"Li Changfeng?"

Lu Lin'er subconsciously said, "Concubine Duan and Concubine De are close friends, and Li Changfeng and General Xu are colleagues. How can they stand against General Xu?"

Lu Jizu shook his head and said, "There is no room for two tigers in one mountain. Li Changfeng is the Minister of War, but above him there is a great general Xu Mujun who keeps suppressing him, making him, the Minister of War, just a decoration. How can he be willing to accept this?"

"Besides, we are not asking Li Changfeng to really deal with Xu Mujun. We just want him to hand over his military resources to us and make some deals."

Lu Jiye also said: "Yes, Li Changfeng is the Minister of War. In the past ten years, many of his old friends and disciples have served in the army. If you can get help from these people, the position of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be more secure."

Lu Lin'er thought about it and nodded, realizing that this was indeed the case.

Lu Jiye said again: "Besides Li Changfeng's people, is there another person we can win over?"

"Oh? Who?"

"Commander-in-chief of the Beiyang Navy, Meng Guang!"

Lu Jiye said: "This person has been looking for ways to get close to our Lu family and has made friends with several people in the clan."

"Not only do they send people to send various gifts to my Lu family during festivals, but they even send a portion to you, the Queen?"

"I?"

"Yes."

Lu Jiye continued, "When this person was working in Beiyang before, he sent many oriental pearls and deep-sea treasures."

"For example, your favorite blood-dancing coral was given to you by this person."

"Oh? It's him!"

Lu Lin'er's eyes moved, as if she remembered something.

A few years ago, the tribesmen sent a blood coral.

The blood-red coral was more than one person tall and about three feet wide.

The whole plant is red, with luxuriant branches and leaves and tangled roots, just like a dancing exotic beast, hence the name "Blood Dancing Coral".

Even His Majesty had praised this item in person, and Lu Lin'er had always regarded it as a treasure.

Unexpectedly, it was sent by Meng Guang.

She suddenly thought of something and said, "I have some impression of this person."

"Several years ago, when the fake Yan King was overthrown, Your Majesty summoned this man when he established the Beiyang Navy."

"When I and Sister Cui left, we also saw General Meng Guang in the Imperial Garden."

Lu Jiye smiled and said, "This man was born as a subordinate of the fake King of Yan and has no foundation in the court. If he had not been born as a pirate, and Your Majesty happened to need someone familiar with naval warfare to form a navy, then you would have given him the opportunity."

"Otherwise, throughout your life, you will be nothing more than a minor general at best."

"If we can win this man over, we will have military support outside."

Lu Lin'er also nodded and said, "Yes, it seems that this person is indeed worth winning over."

"besides."

Lu Jizu on the side said: "The Nanyang Navy is now preparing, and the cabinet is preparing to select candidates from the Beiyang to prepare. If we can take this opportunity to place these people in, then Nanyang will also be a member of my Lu family."

Lu Lin'er frowned suddenly and said, "Second brother, Dayu belongs to His Majesty and will belong to Chengji in the future. You must not speak carelessly."

Lu Jizu also reacted immediately and said, "It was my second brother who said the wrong thing. Please forgive me, Queen."

"Forget it, you are doing this for Chengji's own good."

Lu Lin'er shook her head and said, "Then let's prepare everything according to what the two brothers said."

“Here…!”

The two of them left respectfully, looking at the Kunning Palace behind them and smiling at each other.

"Brother, now that Chengji is the crown prince, the two of us are the emperor's uncles. Once we defeat Xu Mujun, won't the entire court be under your control?"

Lu Jiye also smiled and said, "Yes, father played a good chess move. He didn't follow that group of people to rebel back then."

"If it weren't for this, how could you and I be here today?"

"But don't be too hasty!"

Lu Jiye said: "Xu Mu's army is now in full swing. Even we dare not confront them. We can only wait and lie dormant for the right opportunity."

"Don't worry, brother."

Lu Jizu said: "Your Highness the Crown Prince is only nine years old, and Xu Mujun is almost eighty years old, there is still a long way to go!"

"We have plenty of opportunities...!"

"As long as you understand..."

The two of them laughed and walked away hand in hand.

at the same time.

In a dense forest deep in the mountains far southwest of the capital, several dark shadows suddenly appeared.

Each of them was shrouded in a layer of black fog, or dressed to hide their identity, appearing extremely mysterious.

“Hehehe, I didn’t expect that the Snake Toad Brothers who have been in seclusion for decades would actually appear here?”

An old man with a hunched body and surrounded by black fog spoke in a hoarse voice, with an extremely unconvinced tone.

On the other side, two figures, one tall and one short, stood together. After hearing the old man's words, the tall one spoke first, "How is Hua Lao Mo? Have you recovered from your last injury?"

"It just so happens that my brother and I have just developed several new poison skills. Could you please ask Hua Lao Mo to test the poison for my brother and me?"

Hua Lao Mo's expression changed slightly, and he said fearfully: "Haha... who is afraid of who?"

"When there is a chance, Hua will definitely ask you two for advice."

"Hehehe..."

"You two, shut up."

Another tall old man said in a cold voice: "We were all invited by Daoist Fellow Youlinzi, but where are the others?"

"I don't know."

"Lin didn't see it either."

"Didn't the four brothers Youlinzi surrender to the imperial court? Why?"

At this moment, the old demon Hua in the crowd and the tall and burly Taoist Tieguan among the Snake and Toad brothers suddenly frowned and subconsciously turned their heads to look to the other side.

But You Linzi arrived first, followed by several figures behind him, the leader of which was a handsome young man.

The snake brother among the snake-toad brothers looked at the young man and his expression suddenly changed.

"The Du Family of Beimang Mountain, Du Qingxuan?!" (End of this chapter)