Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

Prince Chu's Mansion, living room.

Chu Ning sat upright in the main seat, looking normal, with no trace of the sickly look he had just had outside the Yingwu Palace.

There were two people sitting on the two chairs on the left and right below, they were the Minister of Revenue Liu Shouren, and Chen An who came to report the victory.

Only at this moment did Chen An realize that the King of Chu had been pretending in the palace just now.

I have to say that His Royal Highness the King of Chu is very clever. With just a little effort, he can add a thousand more people.

Thinking of this, Chen An looked at Chu Ning with even more respect.

At this time, Chu Ning smiled and looked at Chen An and asked, "Many things in the victory report are too general. What are the specific results of the battle?"

Chen An quickly stood up and replied: "Your Highness, our army attacked this battle suddenly, and the enemy's morale was completely lost, resulting in all the supplies in the city not being able to be transferred in time.

All the food, silver, cattle, sheep and horses in the ten cities were seized by our army, but the quantity was too large, so they are all being transported to Dingxiang City for counting. "

The supplies of ten cities, plus so many cattle, sheep and horses, cannot be counted in a short time.

Chu Ning nodded slightly, understanding that Chen An had returned immediately after the battle to report the victory, so he was still unclear about the distance.

"My father has handed over those ten cities to me for management. From now on, they will become the territory of Bingzhou!"

Chu Ning began to explain: "You rest in Kyoto for two days. When all the princes' silver arrives, you will take it all to Bingzhou. Two million taels of silver are enough to develop several more refined salt mines.

In addition, regarding the newly recruited refugees, we need to observe them first and make sure there are no problems before letting them enter the refined salt mine."

With so many people coming at once, there is no guarantee that there are no spies among them. If we want to ensure that the refined salt technology is not leaked, this must be done well.

Chen An knew that the matter was of great importance, so he nodded and agreed: "Don't worry, Your Highness, I will definitely tell Lord Di about this matter in person."

Chu Ning smiled and said, "Don't be nervous. I will write a letter to Lord Di, and you can take it with you when the time comes."

Chen An breathed a sigh of relief: "This is great, but the prince of Zhao is coming here for marriage. What if he asks us to return ten cities..."

Before he finished speaking, Chu Ning interrupted and said, "Don't worry, this marriage will definitely fail, and those ten cities will never be returned!

When you return, tell General Han Xing to deploy heavy troops in those ten cities to prevent a counterattack from the State of Zhao.

From now on, our front line will build our offensive based on those ten cities!"

Are you kidding? Do you have to spit out what you have eaten?

This time Chen An was completely relieved.

"I understand!" Chen An looked excited.

The forward shift of the battle line means that the people of Bingzhou will no longer have to suffer from the war.

Moreover, the refined salt mines and facial mask bases in Bingzhou will not be disturbed, and the amount of refined salt and facial masks produced will be greater in the future.

Once there are more of these things, there will be more silver, and the people of Bingzhou will be able to live a good life.

If this continues for a long time, Bingzhou will definitely become the richest place in Da Chu!

How can I not be excited to have the opportunity to participate in this event?

Chu Ning looked at Chen An, who was full of excitement, and said with a smile: "General Chen must be tired after a long journey. Go down and rest first."

Chen An understood that Chu Ning had something to discuss with Liu Shouren next, so he immediately bowed and said, "I'll take my leave."

Only Chu Ning and Liu Shouren were left in the hall.

Chu Ning picked up the teacup and took a sip, then asked calmly, "Master Liu, how is the imperial examination going?"

Liu Shouren's face straightened, and he said in a deep voice: "The Ministry of Revenue has already allocated money, and the national treasury has also allocated money to the government offices in various places. According to the news sent back by the government offices, there are many people participating in the provincial examinations. At present, there are about 50,000 people.

However, people from aristocratic families also sent people to participate. With these people, this imperial examination may become somewhat unfair. "

People from aristocratic families have been well-read in poetry and books since childhood, and the questions for the imperial examinations are also selected from these books, which is naturally easy for people from aristocratic families.

But it’s different for ordinary people. Even food and clothing are problems, so how can they study?

Even if someone is educated, how can he compare to people from aristocratic families?

Chu Ning was not surprised by this, and said calmly: "I have already thought of this matter, but there is no other way. When the time comes, I will personally set the questions for the palace examination!

Just relax the quota for the provincial and metropolitan examinations and allow more ordinary people to participate in the palace examinations. Of course, if they can't even pass the provincial and metropolitan examinations, there's no need for them to participate in the palace examinations."

Liu Shouren breathed a sigh of relief: "If the quota is relaxed, this problem can be solved. Speaking of which, the provincial examination has already begun, and it is estimated that there will be quotas in a few days."

The imperial examination was a system formulated by Chu Ning himself, and Liu Shouren paid special attention to it.

Moreover, once admitted, all students can be said to be Chu Ning’s students, and their strength in the court will increase significantly in the future.

Now, they are really weak in the court!

Chu Ning nodded slightly: "Give me a copy of the list when the time comes. By the way, how is the investigation of the traitor in the Ministry of Revenue going?"

The last time the Ministry of Revenue registered the Bingzhou refugees, it was very secretive and no one knew about it except the people in the Ministry of Revenue.

But the prince found out about this and informed the emperor, causing the emperor to take personal action and even order house arrest!

Chu Ning has never forgotten this incident.

However, it is not easy to investigate the traitor, and only Liu Shouren and the guards of the palace were allowed to investigate, so there has been no result until now.

Now everything else is going according to plan, except for the traitor, who is still a mystery.

Liu Shouren smiled bitterly and said, "Your Highness, I am incompetent. So far, I have not found out who the traitor is. I don't even have any clues."

The hall suddenly became quiet.

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes and remained silent. The atmosphere was very depressing.

After a moment, Chu Ning's eyes suddenly opened, and a cold light flashed across them: "It seems that this person is hiding very deeply, and it will be difficult to find him in a short time.

Let’s put it this way. For now, you should focus on taxation and imperial examinations. As for spies, you can only wait for the right opportunity.

Besides, the Crown Prince of Zhao will arrive in a few days, and by then the capital city will surely be bustling again. You, the Ministry of Revenue, must also be careful not to get involved in this matter."

"I understand!"

Chu Ning waved his hand, signaling Liu Shouren to step back.

But what Chu Ning didn't know was that at this moment the emperor was listening to the report from the shadow guard.

Hall of Valor.

The emperor showed a look of surprise on his face: "Chu Ning actually threatened Chu Ming in such a shameless way?"

The shadow guard's mouth twitched, he didn't dare to respond.

You are the emperor, you can say that the King of Chu is shameless, but you dare not do so yourself.

The emperor seemed to realize that his words were wrong and he coughed dryly: "This kid has so many tricks up his sleeve. However, this is also the second son's own fault. Who told him to provoke Chu Ning for no reason?"

After a pause, the emperor asked, "When will the prince of Zhao arrive?"

"Your Majesty, according to their schedule, it will take about five days to arrive."

The emperor nodded slightly: "In this case, let the second son go to receive the crown prince of Zhao, so that he won't feel resentful because he was tricked by Chu Ning."

Someone must preside over this marriage!

Feng Mulan's father Feng Anguo is on the side of the Second Prince, so it is reasonable to let the Second Prince receive the Crown Prince of Zhao.