Chapter 96: Leaving Anyang

“Second Brother?!” Li Xian never expected that his second brother would also come here.

Li Wei walked over with a tiger-like stride, exuding a formidable presence as he approached Li Xian. “Not bad, this Anyang is much more prosperous than the Kaiping County of Eldest Brother.”

“Second Brother, how did you come here? Is everything well at home?”

Li Wei casually pulled a chair over and sat down. “Everything is fine at home. But first, let me ask you a question. No, guess what my purpose is this time.”

Li Xian didn’t have the leisure for that, so he turned to look at the nearby Feng Shiling Zhifeng.

Zhifeng smiled slightly, “Second Young Master, is there any need to guess? You’ve already told us everything.”

“Told? I don’t recall that,” Li Wei glanced at Zhifeng, suddenly looking somewhat disdainful. “You’re not going to tell fortunes, are you?”

“Second Young Master is straightforward; I am indeed telling fortunes. You, as a general, have entered the inner hall, sitting in the southeast and looking toward the northwest; this indicates a desire for wealth and the appearance of a mountain of gold. With your status, I can only imagine this wealth is considerable, perhaps needing hundreds of thousands of taels of gold!”

Li Wei stared at Zhifeng in disbelief for a long time… finally snorted, “Can’t you phrase things a bit better? What do you mean ‘desire for wealth’?”

“Hey… Second Young Master, please forgive me; I’ll be more careful next time.”

Li Wei waved dismissively, “Next time? Bah! I won’t have a next time! Even if there is, I will definitely avoid you.”

“Alright, little brother, here’s the thing. His Majesty the Emperor is in decline… abolishing and establishing the crown prince… repairing the imperial tombs…”

Li Wei spoke of everything in detail, leaving Li Xian and the others dumbfounded. After all, Anyang is relatively remote; although they had received some news, it wasn’t very accurate. Moreover, the construction of imperial tombs is usually a confidential matter that isn’t widely publicized.

What surprised Li Xian the most was that the Crown Prince actually needed two hundred thousand sets of bearings and three hundred pounds of sea silk. What on earth could that be for?

Beside them, Xia Qingqing was reading the greeting letter sent by the Crown Prince; after finishing, she carefully tucked it away without saying anything, quietly returning to Li Xian’s side.

The room fell silent, with Li Xian, Xu Ren, and others contemplating the direction of these events. One thing was already clear: the Great Xia Kingdom was essentially finished. But how to act next and what political stance to adopt required careful consideration; a single misstep could cause past efforts to go to waste.

Only Li Wei, sensing the heavy atmosphere, suddenly threw out a small question: “Little brother, Father said that repairing the imperial tombs is both protection and restraint from the Emperor toward our Li family. But I just don’t see where the protective aspect is. All I see is restraint!”

Li Xian covered his forehead, “Second Brother, we’re already building the imperial tombs and are bound here. Naturally, we can ignore the disputes outside, like the struggle for the crown prince. There’s nothing more important than building the imperial tombs. Besides, with this excuse, many of our matters will be easier to manage.”

“Ah!!! Is it that simple???”

“Yes, it’s that simple. That’s why we’re spending money to buy peace; this deal is worth it.”

Li Wei finally lowered his proud head. “Forget it, I’ll go out and take a look. You handle the matter of the imperial tombs.”

After saying that, he turned around and left decisively.

Li Xian was dumbfounded! Seriously? Anyang is already busy enough, and you want me to be in charge of the imperial tombs?

Xu Ren smiled slightly, “Young Master, this is a good opportunity! Taking advantage of the imperial tomb construction, we can continue to acquire refugees and grain. Especially regarding the grain acquisition, it will be much easier.

Additionally, we’ve been in the spotlight recently, so it’s time to hold back a bit.

It just so happens that we’ve recently gathered two hundred thousand people; we can take this opportunity to verify and sort through them, establishing records for better management.”

Li Xian sighed, “It’s good, but there are too many things right now.

The negotiations have no direction yet, and I’m afraid I need to stay in Anyang.

Moreover, Anyang has been through continuous wars recently and hasn’t had time for governance. A careless mistake could easily stir up chaos.

And the production situation for the tridents promised to the sea tribe seems to be lagging behind. The goods for the local agents are also quite tight.

There are also spirit stones to study, and we need to hurry up with the research on flying vehicles. The research on firearms and artillery needs to be expedited as well. 

Formation techniques, generators, trading with the sea tribe, group development strategies…

It’s a complete mess!”

As Li Xian spoke, everyone was stunned; indeed, they were overwhelmed! Almost every matter required Li Xian’s presence. Clearly, for the construction of the imperial tombs, it would be best for Li Xian to be there in person to prevent any idle gossip. In fact, constructing the imperial tombs for the Emperor was very important, traditionally requiring families to live on the construction site until the tomb was completed.

Suddenly, Xia Qingqing stepped in front of Li Xian. “Husband, perhaps I can temporarily handle Anyang.”

“Not possible!”

Before Xia Qingqing could finish her sentence, Xu Ren immediately voiced his opposition, and his tone was firm!

Li Xian looked at Xu Ren.

Xu Ren took a deep breath. “Young Master, I dare to offer a suggestion. Since the establishment of the empire, interference by the imperial harem has been a major cause of the decline of all empires. This matter cannot be overlooked.

To put it simply, there cannot be two suns in the sky or two masters in a household; policies should emerge from one authority, and words should come from one person.

Thus, this matter must not happen!”

Xia Qingqing stood quietly in front of Li Xian, her head slowly lowering as her footsteps moved hesitantly.

Li Xian wanted to say something.

Bei Chen Yuqing and Fang Shijing also stepped forward to support Xu Ren’s point of view. To prevent any unforeseen events in the future, this matter absolutely could not be allowed.

Fang Shijing even expressed that Xia Qingqing’s current authority over education should be revoked.

Seeing everyone opposing him in unison, Li Xian was dumbfounded—this kind of thinking is unacceptable!

Li Xian grabbed Xia Qingqing and turned to scan the crowd. “Everyone, what you say makes sense, but have you considered one point? If I can’t even trust my family, who can I trust? 

I’ve heard that some emperors, in order to prevent their princes from threatening the crown prince’s position, exiled all the princes from the country. In the end, the princes were gone, but it gave the collateral bloodlines an opportunity. The threat wasn’t eliminated; it became even more complicated.

I’ve also heard of emperors who, to prevent military officials from threatening imperial authority, severely suppressed the military generals. This led to a weak and vulnerable country.

Moreover, I’ve heard that some emperors adhered to outdated practices and isolated the nation, unwilling to make any attempts, which ultimately resulted in national decline and corruption.

Everyone, your opinions might be correct, but I want to make more attempts and build more trust.”

Li Xian’s words left Xu Ren and the others unable to refute him.

Then, Li Xian held Xia Qingqing’s hand, looking at her as her eyes gradually brightened. “Qingqing, for a while, I will oversee the construction of the imperial tombs with my second brother. Anyang will be entrusted to you.”

“Husband…” Xia Qingqing’s eyes sparkled, her heart warmed.

Li Xian glanced around at the others once more and said, “Qingqing, please don’t hold a grudge against Mr. Xu and the others; they are also considering what’s best for Anyang. You can discuss any matters with them.”

“Husband, don’t worry; Qingqing understands.”

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