Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 779: Return Home
Another day dawns.

Gao Shuyao returned to the inner palace.

She was wearing the robes of a queen.

The clothing and accessories worn by the Queen of Dali were greatly influenced by Nanzhao and the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, the empress's daily clothes were generally similar to those of the Tang Dynasty empress, but with the addition of some small decorations and embroidery features of Nanzhao.

This is a dark blue casual dress with peony and Buddha's hand patterns, which is noble and elegant.

The embroidered butterflies are exquisite and lively, with double flying phoenixes, hundreds of butterflies flying through flowers and other patterns made with colorful silk threads, as if they are about to take flight.

In fact, she could wear something lighter and more convenient, but a bad guy wanted to see her dressed like this.

So…she took the trouble to dress up beautifully.

Returning to the Queen's bedroom, she sat down in front of the dressing table.

I went out last night, dressed up.

Now that I'm back, I should wear lighter and more casual clothes.

The queen took off her phoenix crown and hairpin, let her raven hair fall loose, and a pretty face appeared in the mirror.

The eyebrows and eyes are full of spring.

Last night the wind was strong and fierce...

Just like the last trace of snow in the early morning sun, how can it be erased in a short time?

She took off a pair of satin boots with phoenix patterns, stepped on the colorful satin carpet with her bare white feet, and put on her makeup in front of the mirror.

Her delicate and lazy charm is beautiful in every gesture.

She took off her makeup one by one, and she didn't know what embarrassing things she was thinking about. A blush suddenly passed through her face, and her watery eyes in the mirror gradually became blurred.

When Yang Liangao walked into the queen's bedroom, what he saw was a peony shrouded in mist, sitting in front of the dressing table.

There is a shadowy, charming and enchanting aura about her.

The early morning sunlight poured in through the window, casting a faint halo over her, making her look very charming.

"Marshal Yang will leave Dali tomorrow, but he will go to Liangshan Prefecture first."

Gao Shuyao didn't even look at him as she threw each piece of jewelry into the jewelry box with a jingle.

The phoenix-head hairpin made of emerald jade inlaid with silver and gold patterns was bent for some reason and was also casually thrown into the jewelry box.

"Remember to lead the entire court of civil and military officials to escort him out of the city respectfully. Don't be impolite."

Gao Shuyao continued speaking and turned to look at Yang Liangao with some concern.

This guy's mind is in a daze all day long, but he does everything I taught him to do well.

However, if one sentence is not explained clearly, he will fall into a trance on the spot, at a loss as to what to do.

Everything was fine during the court session. The Queen Mother, who had not been seen since her wedding, now began to show up.

As soon as they appeared, the emperor and empress sat side by side, presiding over court affairs.

However, His Majesty the Emperor had no objection, the hereditary prime minister had no objection, and naturally the ministers could not raise any objections.

In this way, with her giving advice, the government can handle affairs of state without any mistakes.

However, tomorrow is the day to see Yang Yuan of Dali off. She cannot always be by this fool's side, so she has to be careful.

"okay, I get it."

Yang Liangao agreed a little awkwardly and looked at his queen.

Gao Shuyao's dress was half-off, she looked dignified and elegant yet also charming in a different way, her eyebrows and eyes were full of spring love, she was extremely beautiful.

Yang Liangao moved his lips and said with some shame and gratitude: "The Queen has worked hard."

His mind has fallen into a state of dementia, and even an ordinary person with a bit of scheming can influence him, let alone Gao Shuyao who is an expert in the "Six Phases of Ming Concubine".

Yang Liangao has been completely brainwashed.

He felt that it was incompetent of him to let the Queen worry about state affairs for him.

He felt that he could not have sex with the Queen, and that he had to trouble the Queen to run around for Yang Yuan to work for him, which made him feel very guilty.

"Okay, I'll teach you how to do and say it later when we see you off tomorrow. I'm sleepy and need to take a nap for half a day."

"Okay, Queen, have a good rest. I won't disturb you anymore."

Yang Liangao quickly apologized and left the bedroom.

He shook his clothes and walked away with the gait of a dragon or a tiger.

All the palace maids, eunuchs, and guards would step aside and salute respectfully when they saw him.

Yang Liangao felt very satisfied and happy.

He vaguely remembered that this was his lifelong pursuit.

Now that he has it, he is very happy.

……

Yang Yuan is going back to the Song Dynasty. As the lord of Sichuan, he has been away for long enough.

Of course, the first step is to go to Liangshan Prefecture.

The war reparations had been paid, a huge fortune including countless gold, pearls and treasures.

Yang Yuan took out a sufficiently generous portion as a gift from a vassal state to the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, and ordered it to be sent to Lin'an.

The rest was divided into two parts and sent respectively to the general in charge of Chengdu Prefecture and Yang Xuan of Bozhou.

As for how these two generals would be assigned with the titular deputy marshal Qiao Zhen of Chengdu Prefecture and the titular deputy marshal Liu Qi of Kuizhou Prefecture, he didn't need to worry about it.

It is enough for him to have enough minerals in Liangshan Prefecture that he can never mine them all even if he spends hundreds of years mining.

In the memorial he submitted to the court after the grand ceremony, he requested to set up a mint in Liangshan Prefecture to mint copper coins.

From then on, only the four routes of Sichuan and Xia would use iron coins. Because of currency reasons, they would be restricted and exploited by other routes through financial means. The current situation would become a thing of the past.

He was certain that the court would agree.

Thirty percent of the mineral resources mined from this mine will directly belong to the Song Dynasty court.

By establishing the Mint, the imperial court could gain huge profits from it.

This is something that is only beneficial to the court and has no harm at all.

I believe that the prime minister, the prime minister, the ministry of revenue and the ministry of works who are in charge of finance will do their best to make this happen.

As for the Song Dynasty court, after the news spread that Liangshan Prefecture had rich gold and copper mines, those ministers who only put reputation and justice first could no longer ignore such huge and readily available benefits.

When Yang Yuan left Dali Royal City, Yang Liangao led all the civil and military officials in the court to see him off.

Gao Shuyao taught him very well, and with the support of Prime Minister Gao Zhenshou, there was no problem at all with Yang Liangao's performance.

He possesses all the manners, words, and demeanor that a monarch should have.

When Yang Yuan got on the car, he looked back at the Dali Royal City.

His eyes were somewhat deep, as if there was someone or something there that he didn't want to leave behind.

But the flower-decorated gauze curtains hanging from the magnificent carriage obscured his vision, and no one could see the depth in his eyes.

In a corner of the city wall where no one could see, Gao Shuyao, dressed in folk women's clothes, stood there, watching Yang Yuan's convoy going farther and farther away.

She said she wanted to sleep with Yang Yuan at the beginning just to trick her uncle.

She approached Yang Yuan in the beginning in order to get his support.

Only with Yang Yuan's support will she have the capital to fight and no longer be a puppet in the hands of others.

However, as she got along with Yang Yuan, she gradually realized that her feelings towards him were no longer cold and calculating, but she really fell in love with him.

It's not just the feeling of infinite harmony and bliss when you get along with him using the Six Aspects of the Ming Fei method, which is used to serve the Ming King.

Even in daily life, she would always think of that person and everything she had experienced with him.

She had never fallen in love with a man, and in her pursuit of a free and unrestrained life, a man now lived in her heart.

And as she was trapped in the imperial palace, the space that man occupied in her heart would only grow larger and larger.

"Sister?"

A girl of similar stature with golden rings on her hands, feet and ears appeared beside her and bowed respectfully with her hands clasped together. Her name was Yangjin Lhamo.

She was chosen by a master, who planned to pierce her eardrums, cut off her tongue, and then raise her until she was sixteen years old. On the day when he skinned her to make drums, she was lucky enough to meet Gao Shuyao who was practicing with the master.

Gao Shuyao spoke up and asked her master to come and save her.

From then on, she became Gao Shuyao's little follower.

Although she was a junior sister, she was also a slave. From then on, she lived her whole life only for her master Gao Shuyao.

"You're here."

Gao Shuyao was still looking outside the city intently; Yang Yuan's convoy was still in her sight.

Ram was summoned from the temple in Tubo where her master was practicing by someone she sent.

"From now on, you will stay by my side as a lady-in-waiting. You know my voice, my conversation, and my appearance best."

On the horizon, Yang Yuan's motorcade had disappeared from sight, and all that could be seen was a green expanse.

Gao Shuyao turned around and said, "In the future, I may leave often. When that happens, you will be responsible for staying in the palace and playing the role of queen for me. Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

Ram would not refuse any order from her master, even if it was to let her die.

She looked at Gao Shuyao with admiration and devotion, with a smile on her face: "Senior sister has not given up her dream of traveling around the world."

"Yes!"

Gao Shuyao also smiled, and her smile was sweet and charming.

……

As soon as Yang Yuan arrived in Liangshan Prefecture, Feng Niang, who had been having a blast here, brought Tai Xi to present treasures.

"Uncle, uncle, look, I found it. Haha, is it big? I'm giving it to you."

Li Fengniang was holding a piece of gold nugget, looking very proud.

It was really a very large and heavy piece of gold nugget. Li Fengniang could only hold it tightly in her arms.

Look at the bright yellow color, it almost does not require any refining and is of extremely high purity.

"Haha, Feng Niang is so lucky, so awesome."

Yang Yuan smiled and touched her head, then took the gold nugget and placed it on the table.

He was worried that if Li Fengniang held him for a little longer, the gold nugget would slip out of her hands and hit her feet.

Such a heavy piece of gold would flatten the little girl's toes.

"Didn't Tae Hee find the gold?"

Yang Yuan asked with a smile.

Ever since she saw him, Li Fengniang had been proudly showing off her treasures.

Tae Hee stood aside gently and said almost nothing.

Tae Hee shook her head gently, still looking gentle.

"Tae Hee doesn't have that much luck."

She smiled faintly and held out her palm.

Her palms became a little rough, probably because she didn't pay attention to sun protection, and her skin became a little darker than before when it was white and glowing.

"I asked a gold panner for advice, and I learned how to pan for gold myself, and made a 'gold belt hook'."

Tae Hee looked a little shy, and her eyes fell on Yang Yuan's waist: "Fushuai's belt hook is old, Nunu will help Fushuai change it, okay?"

There was joy in Yang Yuan's eyes.

Li Fengniang looked at the golden belt hook in Tae Hee's palm, and then looked at her own piece of dog-head gold that could be made into a hundred golden belt hooks, and suddenly felt that she was a heartless fool.

……

Yang Yuan stayed in Liangshan Prefecture for another three days, then left Liangshan Prefecture and continued on his way to Wumeng.

He left a garrison in Liangshan Prefecture, equipped with sixty-eight tiger-crouching cannons.

The nearby city of Ale is a satellite city of Lvshui New City.

Many officers and soldiers' families came from there.

The miners from various counties in Liangshan who were scrambling to sign up have also arrived.

The Seven Barbarians of Wumeng also sent many of their tribesmen to work in Liangshan Prefecture.

There are many supporting measures in the Wumeng area that need to be maintained by the Seven Barbarians of Wumeng.

Therefore, the Seven Barbarians of Wumeng are gradually moving out of the mountains and settling in places closer to major transportation routes.

This process will gradually educate these wild people in the mountains.

By then, we can set up a government office here and appoint these big and small evildoers as officials. The process of strengthening control will be a natural process and will not encounter any resistance.

When he returned to Xuzhou, the heads of Xuzhou Governor Ke and three big ghosts were still hanging beside the main road in and out of the city gate.

However, now there were only four skulls tied with ropes on the tall flagpole. The flesh had either rotted or been eaten by birds and was completely gone.

There were only white bones on the flagpole.

Because Yang Yuan forgot to explain when he left, no one dared to do anything with the four heads, and they became like this now.

The human heads have become light, and when the wind blows, the four skulls collide with each other, making a "cracking" sound.

If there is anyone who has forgotten the horror of the mad army breaking up into small groups and hunting in the mountains, seeing their big devil heads hanging on the flagpole will remind him to abide by the rules in the future.

This time, Yang Yuan still did not do anything about the four skulls on the flagpole.

Because he wasn't paying attention.

He forgot.

After he returned to Xuzhou and moved in, his "fellow boat" people brought Meng Qingguo to Yang Yuan's attention, saying that he had intensified the conflicts between the Rong and Han people in Xuzhou and caused chaos in Xuzhou.

Meng Qingguo knew the consequences of failure, so he wanted to die.

But he was hit by a poisonous arrow that could instantly paralyze a person, and did not die.

But he couldn't bear the endless torture.

So, he has already recruited all the people he should recruit.

At this moment, he was emaciated and looked like a skeleton.

Yang Yuan waved his hand and had him taken away.

Now that he has confessed, there is no need for him to see this person again. It will affect his appetite.

"General, this is the advice from the Internal Affairs Office. Please consider and decide."

Yang Yuan elaborated on the handling opinions sent by the Internal Affairs Office.

This was the solution that Duozi, Yanran and Yuye came up with after seeing Meng Qingguo's confession.

After each opinion, the reasons for such treatment and the advantages and disadvantages of such treatment are explained in detail.

They just thought about various solutions and listed the possible consequences of each solution, and the final decision was made by Yang Yuan.

Send Meng Qingguo and others and their confessions to the court secretly or publicly.

Meng Qingguo and others were executed and returned to the Wu family in Lixi along with their signed confessions.

Meng Qingguo and others were executed, and officials were sent to Lixi to search and confiscate Meng's mansion as a disguised form of threat to the Wu family.

There were four or five solutions. After repeated consideration, the Internal Affairs Office submitted these three solutions to Yang Yuan as alternative solutions.

Yang Yuan tapped the table lightly, closed his eyes and thought for a long time, then slowly opened his eyes.

"Send Meng Qingguo and his men, along with their confessions, to Lizhou West Road and hand them over to General Wu."

Yang Yuan said word by word: "Don't say anything. Please let General Wu decide how to deal with this matter!"

PS: Happy New Year to all my fellow readers. 2025 will definitely be better. I wish you all good health, harmonious families, success in everything, and happiness.

(End of this chapter)