We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

In the Yangxin Pavilion, Emperor Qing read the surrender letter in his hand over and over again, his heart beating fast.

Emperor Qing believed that his civil and military skills were not inferior to any other founding monarch, but he had no confidence in his offspring to inherit the throne.

Since ancient times, emperors and founding monarchs with great abilities have always failed in the issue of succession.

The First Emperor of Han had the Shaqiu Rebellion, Emperor Gaozu of Han had the rebellion of Empress Lü, Emperor Wu of Han had the Witchcraft and Poisoning Incident, Emperor Taizong of Tang had the rebellion of the crown prince, Emperor Taizu of Song had the candlelight and axe sound, and Emperor Taizu of Ming lost his crown prince in his later years, and the successor he chose was a fool, so there was the Jingnan Rebellion.

This seems like a curse that forces people to believe in the existence of fatalism.

Emperor Qing also seemed to be facing such a situation: the crown prince had no virtue or talent, and the other princes were either uneducated, brave but not wise, or harbored evil intentions.

Looking at all his sons, he couldn't find any one who could achieve great things.

If it weren't for the strict security in the harem, Emperor Qing would have doubted whether they were his own children.

At this moment, the Sixth Prince, whom he had once least favored, suddenly appeared.

Defeat the Mohe and defeat the Goryeo. Regardless of Li Che's talent in civil administration, at least in terms of military prowess he has become the leader among all the vassal kings.

Even though the Prince of Yan was recognized as the most capable warrior among the vassal kings, he only prevented the Hu people from the grassland from moving south, while Li Che actually fought his way into the territory of Goryeo.

"Tell me, how should I reward him?" Emperor Qing held the wine glass in his hand, his face slightly red.

Huang Jin paused, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Your Majesty, before leaving, Your Highness did tell me that there are some things that I hope Your Majesty will approve."

"Oh?" The corner of Emperor Qing's mouth curled up, "You little brat, are you still trying to take credit for something?"

There are so many vassal kings in Daqing, but only Emperor Qing can take the initiative to reward them. Who would dare to write to Emperor Qing to ask for rewards?

Of course, in the final analysis, it is because Emperor Qing treats all the princes well.

"Tell me about it." Emperor Qing put down his wine glass and looked interested.

"Yes."

Huang Jin bowed, then reached into his arms and took out a long piece of paper under Emperor Qing's puzzled gaze.

The corner of Emperor Qing's mouth twitched slightly. He thought that the Sixth Old Man would just use his achievements to make a few small requests.

But now it seems that there are quite a few words on the note, and this brat came prepared.

"His Highness the Sixth Prince said that Ninggu County is short of supplies, including salt, sugar, spices, cloth, and other items. He hopes that Your Majesty will allow him to send caravans in and out of Shanhaiguan to trade with the interior."

Emperor Qing nodded, but didn't express his opinion. He just said, "Well, continue."

Huang Jin looked embarrassed. "This... His Highness the Sixth Prince said that Ninggu County is short of copper coins. He hopes that Your Majesty will allow him to mint his own copper coins according to the regulations of Daqing Tongbao to meet the needs of Ninggu County's transactions."

After saying that, Huang Jin secretly glanced at Emperor Qing and saw that Emperor Qing's face looked not so good.

Privately minting copper coins is a serious crime. If the quality of copper coins is not up to standard, bad money will drive out good money and bring serious disasters to the currency market.

Moreover, the right to mint coins has always been the exclusive property of the imperial court, so this is a bit of an overreach...

"Go on." Emperor Qing had no expression on his face.

"Furthermore, His Highness the Sixth Prince said that his army is understaffed and hopes the court will allow him to expand it and recruit more soldiers to fight against the barbarians..."

"Alright." Emperor Qing lost his patience and interrupted, "Show me the note."

Huang Jin didn't dare to say more and quickly presented it respectfully.

Emperor Qing took it and read through it quickly.

Li Che did have quite a few requests. In addition to the trade, coinage, and military expansion just mentioned, he also made several other requests.

Among them, there are several important ones, such as determining the territory of Ninggu County.

The territory of Ninggu County has never been determined, and the actual control area only includes Chaoyang City and the surrounding land.

Li Che expressed his ambition to expand his territory and wanted to ask his father how far the imperial court would allow him to go.

For example, he hoped that the imperial court would allow him to mine, sell salt, and sell horses, and that Ninggu County would have the qualifications to conduct independent diplomacy with foreign countries.

Seeing the end, Emperor Qing was so angry that he laughed: "This kid wants everything. Should I just let him establish his own country?!"

Huang Jin lowered his head and dared not respond.

Although Emperor Qing was angry at Li Che's exorbitant demands, he was a great ruler after all and still had some vision.

He hoped that Li Che could gain a firm foothold outside the Great Wall and help him completely wipe out Goryeo in the future, so he knew very well that he could not demand the prosperity of Ninggu County while setting many restrictions on him.

After thinking for a moment, he slowly said, "What the Sixth Old Man wants is not impossible to resolve. Wouldn't it be enough to raise his title to that of a prince?"

Huang Jin looked at Emperor Qing in surprise.

A prince is much more noble than a duke and holds much more power. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is a local emperor.

The Sixth Prince was promoted to the title of Prince only three months after he was enfeoffed. This speed was unprecedented.

But then I thought, as the Sixth Prince is His Majesty's biological son, he should have been a prince, but because His Majesty didn't like him before...

"I cannot make a decision on this matter alone." Emperor Qing looked at Huang Jin and said, "Send all officials of the third rank and above to Xuanzheng Hall to discuss this matter!"

. . . . . .

Inside the Xuanzheng Hall, all the ministers were seated.

When Emperor Qing announced to his ministers that General Li Che had defeated the Goryeo army with a smaller force, the ministers' faces changed and they looked at each other in surprise.

The voice of doubt immediately spread throughout the court:

"Is this information wrong?"

"The Prince of Ninggu actually possesses such military strategy. The Goryeo army is certainly not weak. Even the previous Emperor Yang..."

"Ten thousand broke a hundred thousand, isn't that a bit too... exaggerated?"

"It can't be a lie, maybe it's just a small victory, and the Ninggu County Prince wants to take credit for it..."

In short, I just don’t believe it.

The prince stood aside with a calm expression, but his heart was tormented.

He also couldn't quite believe that the inconspicuous Lao Liu could have accomplished such a great career.

But he was repeatedly humiliated by Li Che, which made him feel inexplicably panic. Although his reason told him that this matter was absurd, for some reason, the ominous premonition in his heart became stronger and stronger.

"My dear ministers, what's the problem?" Emperor Qing said slowly and calmly.

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Finally, a court official stood up and said, "Your Highness, please do not blame me. We simply feel that this record is a bit exaggerated. Without any actual evidence, it is hard to believe."

Emperor Qing sneered, picked up the surrender letter from his side, and threw it heavily under the dragon steps.

The court official hurried over, picked up the surrender letter, and read aloud: "Your Majesty, the King of Goryeo, is deeply terrified and respectfully presents this letter of surrender. I humbly remember that your country is remote and ignorant in the remote corner of the sea, like a son to his father. It is thanks to the grace of the Great Qing Dynasty that we have been able to hear the teachings of the sage. Now that the Great Qing Heavenly Army has arrived, it is like a strict father teaching his son, using both kindness and power. Everyone in your country is moved to tears of gratitude..."

"I humbly wish that Your Highness, the Prince of Ninggu, with his benevolence and wisdom, is truly my elder brother and a blessing to Goryeo. Now, as a son, I submit to Daqing. I hope you will have mercy and not let my mistakes harm innocent people. I hope that the Daqing Empire will treat Goryeo as one of our own family, and show us kindness instead of wrath. Although my country is small, I am willing to serve as a barrier to Daqing, to maintain eternal friendship and to jointly resist foreign aggression."

As he read on, the court official's face changed, his body trembled uncontrollably, and cold sweat broke out.

The King of Goryeo is so shameless. Even at his old age, he calls the Prince of Ninggu his brother and calls Daqing his father country.

Looking at the clear seal on the surrender letter, it doesn't look fake at all.

Did the Prince of Ninggu really scare the Goryeo Kingdom?!

Emperor Qing looked down at the man from his throne and said coldly, "So, do you have anything else to say?"

The courtier respectfully put down the letter of surrender, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed several times:

"I am a foolish person. I have the audacity to criticize the achievements of His Highness the Prince of Ninggu. I deserve death!"

What else can I say? The contribution of Prince Ninggu is so great that it is enough to buy the lives of my entire family, let alone a few kowtows.

"Hmm." Emperor Qing's expression was aggrieved, but the corners of his mouth curled up subtly. "Considering that this is your first offense, let's just let it go. There won't be a next time."

The courtier said bitterly, "Your Highness, thank you for your grace."

Emperor Qing's eyes flickered as he looked at his ministers: "When Che'er was enfeoffed, I was concerned that he was too young to handle the heavy responsibility, so I only granted him the title of Prince."

Many ministers lowered their heads in silence, no one dared to speak, but they were all criticizing in their hearts.

It's not as easy as Emperor Qing said. You and the Crown Prince were performing a double act and almost forced Prince Ninggu to death.

Prince Ninggu was so angry that he tried to commit suicide by hitting his head against a pillar. Then you took advantage of the situation and made him a vassal king.

If Prince Ninggu had not been so stubborn, he would have died by hitting his head in the Xuanzheng Hall. The hole on the pillar has not been filled yet.

"Now it seems that Che'er still has some ability. I'm afraid that the mere title of a county prince is not enough."

Emperor Qing looked at everyone with a deep gaze:

"I intend to confer the title of Prince of Daqing on Li Che. What do you think?"